Sydney residents in cultural evolution war with bin-raiding cockatoos

There is a person by the name ofClare Wilson.

In Australia, people are caught in a battle of wits with birds who are raiding their rubbish bins for food.

The birds are coming up with new ways to defeat the sulphur-crested cockatoos. The arms race is a classic example of cultural evolution.

The saga began when cockatoos discovered that people usually have bread and fruit in their bins. The lids are heavy, but a few birds were able to pry them open, hold the lid in their beak, and flip the lid over.

The trick was only seen in three suburbs of the city, but by the end of the year it was seen in 44 suburbs. Birds throw rubbish over their front yards and streets, which is a problem for residents.

This time the team focused on the human side of the conflict.

In four suburbs where bin-raiding by cockatoos had been reported, the researchers observed the protection strategies being used on 3283 bins.

Some people put bricks on top of the bin lid, but some birds figured out they could get the bricks off with their heads.

A more sophisticated tactic is to wedge a stick between the hinges and the bin to prevent the lid from flipping over.

One resident said that bricks seemed to work for a while but cockies got too clever. There were people on the other side of the highway suggesting sticks. The people work.

The researchers concluded that they are copying each other's tactics just like the birds.

It used to be thought that only humans have culture, in terms of innovations that spread between groups, but examples have now been seen in several animals, such as Chimpanzees. A lot of animals are similar to us in that they learn from each other and have their own local traditions, according to Klump.

The current biology journal has a reference.