. Earth Science News .
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Bin-opening cockatoos enter 'arms race' with humans
By David WILLIAMS
Sydney (AFP) Sept 12, 2022

Australia's crafty, sulphur-crested cockatoos appear to have entered an "innovation arms race" with humans, scientists say, as the two species spar over the rubbish in roadside bins.

The white birds, which can grow nearly as long as a human arm, initially surprised researchers by devising an ingenious technique to prise open household bin lids in Sydney and other areas.

Now, a new study says they have gone a step further by thwarting the escalating defences of fed-up humans.

The birds' and humans' behaviour may reveal a hitherto unexplored "interspecies innovation arms race", said a study published Monday in Current Biology.

Nestled between a forest and a surf-swept beach and bordered by cliffs, the picturesque town of Stanwell Park near Sydney is on the front line of the battle of the bins.

"If we don't close the bin right after throwing out the rubbish they'll be in there," said Ana Culic, 21, manager of the town's Loaf Cafe.

"Cockatoos everywhere. Like, just rubbish all over the front area."

Her own family had tried scaring cockatoos away with owl statues to no avail. Then they tried placing bricks on the bin lids, but the cockatoos learned to remove them. Finally, they drilled a lock into the bin.

"They're evolving. Yeah, like if you go back like five-ten years ago, they didn't know how to open bins so they're figuring stuff out," said the cafe's chef, 42-year-old Matt Hoddo.

- Flipping the lid -

Nearby, 40-year-old resident Skie Jones said he had resorted to an elastic cord to hold down the lid of his household bin after the birds worked out how to remove a brick and then a larger rock.

"I have got a feeling I am going to be going for an actual lock," he said. "That's only a matter of time."

Frequent sightings reveal that a single cockatoo can open a bin by holding the lid aloft with its beak while standing near the front edge.

Then, with the bin lid still in its beak, it shuffles backward toward the hinge, forcing the lid ever higher until it flips open.

The scientists found in an earlier study that knowledge of this technique spread as other birds looked on, creating local "traditions".

Their new research shows that humans, frustrated at having their garbage spread across the street, learned to adapt. But then so did the cockatoos.

"When we first started looking at this behaviour, we were already amazed because actually the cockatoos learned how to open the bins," said the study's lead author Barbara Klump, a behavioural scientist at the Max Plank Institute in Germany.

As humans responded, though, "I was really astonished by how many different methods people have invented," she said.

As the cockatoos learned to defeat some of the humans' protections, the two species appeared to be engaged in a "stepwise progression and reiteration", said the postdoctoral research fellow.

"That was the most interesting part for me."

In a census of 3,283 bins, the latest study found that some cockatoos could defeat low-level protections such as rubber snakes, which could be ignored, or bricks, which could be pushed off.

So far, though, the cockatoos had not managed to overcome stronger methods such as a weight actually attached to the lid or an object stuck into the hinge to prevent the bin fully opening.

"Bricks seemed to work for a while but cockies got too clever," one resident told the researchers in an online survey that attracted more than 1,000 participants.

- 'Rats of the sky' -

Who is winning the arms race?

"I think ultimately it will be the humans," said Klump.

"But we need to see how it develops," she added, explaining that it was easy to underestimate the work involved for humans in protecting their bins every week, with some people already relaxing their guard when cockatoo activity decreased.

The interspecies bin struggle is unlikely to lead to a new breed of even cleverer cockatoo, however.

"They have a certain capacity to problem solve, and we know they are super curious and they like to explore," Klump said. "But I don't think that protecting the bins will in itself then make the cockatoos smarter."

Despite the annoyance, many residents in Stanwell Park say they have a soft spot for the birds.

"We call them the rats of the sky because they just love food," said Katherine Erskine, 48, owner of the town's Uluwatu Blue cafe.

"They are beautiful and they're really noisy -- but I do love them."


Related Links
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


FROTH AND BUBBLE
Scientists discover how air pollution triggers lung cancer
Paris (AFP) Sept 10, 2022
Scientists said Saturday they had identified the mechanism through which air pollution triggers lung cancer in non-smokers, a discovery one expert hailed as "an important step for science - and for society". The research illustrated the health risk posed by the tiny particles produced by burning fossil fuels, sparking fresh calls for more urgent action to combat climate change. It could also pave the way for a new field of cancer prevention, according to Charles Swanton of the UK's Francis Cric ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Researchers determine optimal method to soothe crying baby

Fire engulfs skyscraper in China's Changsha city

'A matter of honour': Women forced to stay in flooded Pakistan village

Syrian refugees in Turkey plan caravan to reach EU

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Ocean lidar remote sensing technology based on Brillouin scattering spectrum

In Nigeria, finding value in waste recycling

New ice-shedding coating is 100x stronger than others

Through the quantum looking glass

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Homes 'swept away' in deadly S.Africa mine dam collapse

More Australia floods 'very real possibility' as third straight La Nina declared

Millions of farmers replumb the world's largest delta

Is climate change disrupting maritime boundaries

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Scientists chart 45 million years of Antarctic temperature change

Lake ice melting 8 days earlier on average, study finds

Microbiologists study giant viruses in climate-endangered arctic Epishelf lake

Getting to the bottom of the Arctic sea ice decline

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Climate-fueled hunger more than doubles in worst-hit countries; As prices soar

100 percent compostable coffee balls bid to take on Nespresso

The hungry bugs fighting Uganda's fertiliser crisis

Prices soaring everywhere: from beans in Brazil to pork in China

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Typhoon Muifa lashes eastern China, forcing 1.6 million from their homes

134 dead, scores of homes wiped out in Sudan seasonal floods

Volunteers lead desperate bid to reach PNG quake victims

'Like a new planet': Volcano draws visitors to Spanish isle

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Niger army kills 7 suspected 'terrorists': ministry

Somali envoy calls for more UN aid for country on brink of famine

10 killed in twin air strikes on Ethiopia's Tigray: hospital

Burkina junta chief sacks defence minister as jihadist violence rages

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Researchers identify neurons that specialize in remembering speed and location

New fossil found in China answers some questions about apes' evolutionary chain

Archaeologists say skeleton shows earliest surgical amputation 31,000 years ago

Neolithic culinary traditions uncovered









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.