Scientists say that Australia's sulphur-crested cockatoos seem to have entered an "innovation arms race" with humans.
The white birds, which can grow as long as a human arm, were surprised by the invention of an ingenious technique to prise open household bin lid.
A new study says they have gone further by disrupting the defenses of fed up humans.
The study said that the birds' and humans' behavior may show a hitherto unexplored innovation arms race.
The picturesque town of Stanwell Park is located on the front line of the battle of the bins.
Ana Culic is the manager of the town's Loaf Cafe.
There are cockatoos everywhere. Rubbish all over the area.
Her family tried to scare the birds away with statues of owls. They tried to put bricks on the bin lid, but the birds wouldn't let them. They put a lock into the bin.
They're changing. The cafe's chef said they didn't know how to open bins when they were younger.
Skie Jones said he used an elastic cord to hold down the lid of his household bin after the birds worked out how to remove a brick and a bigger rock.
He said that he was going for a lock. It is only a matter of time.
A single bird can open a bin if it stands near the front edge and holds the lid aloft with its beak.
Then, with the bin lid still in its beak, it shuffles backwards, forcing the lid to be raised until it flips open.
The knowledge of this technique spread as other birds looked at it.
Humans learned to adapt when their garbage was spread across the street. The birds did the same thing.
Barbara Klump, a behavioral scientist at the Max Plank Institute in Germany, said that when they first looked at the behavior, they were already amazed.
She said she was amazed by how many different methods people have invented.
The two species appeared to be engaged in a "stepwise progression and reiteration", according to the research fellow.
The most interesting part for me was that.
The 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.
The cockatoos have not been able to overcome stronger methods such as a weight attached to the lid or an object stuck into the hinges.
One resident said that bricks seemed to work for a while but cockies got too clever.
The winner of the arms race is not known.
"I believe it will be the humans eventually," said Klump.
She said that it was easy to underestimate the work involved for humans in protecting their bins every week, with some people already relaxing their guard.
It's not likely that the bin struggle will lead to a new breed of cleverer birds.
"They have a certain capacity to problem solve, and we know they are curious and like to explore." I don't believe that protecting the bins will make the birds smarter.
Many people in Stanwell Park say they have a soft spot for the birds.
"We call them the rats of the sky because they love to eat," said the cafe owner.
They are beautiful and noisy, but I like them.
Agence France- Presse.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
