Topic for Oct 31(Mon)

[Kristin55]

Sydney Residents Battle Garbage-Eating Cockatoos

A war between two species is being fought in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, as residents struggle to come up with more imaginative ways to keep cockatoos from stealing their garbage.

The sulfur-crested cockatoo is known in many parts of Australia for its cheeky and noisy nature. One of the most intelligent parrot species, these large, white-and-yellow birds have developed a habit of opening garbage bins using their beaks as they search for food.

Research published in 2021 showed that this habit had spread among the cockatoo population across Sydney's suburbs, with researchers saying the spread is a result of cockatoos watching and learning from one another.

A 2022 study led by the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany revealed that out of more than 1,100 residents in greater Sydney and Wollongong — a city about 80 kilometers to the south — 172 people in 51 suburbs reported protecting their bins from cockatoos.

In one suburb of Wollongong, it was found that over half of bins were protected.

A total of 52 methods of bin protection were recorded. Some people placed a heavy item such as a brick on top of the lid, while others attached spikes or even put a rubber snake on top to scare the birds away.

However, researchers reported that cockatoos had learned to push heavy items off bin lids — so some residents have been attaching full water bottles to the lids with zip ties.

Others have tried putting running shoes in their lid's hinges to keep the top shut until the bin is lifted and turned over by a garbage truck.

These more sophisticated methods seem to be working — for now.

Lead study author Dr. Barbara Klump commented that this "battle for the bins" is an example of cultural evolution in two separate species. "It's not just a social learning on the cockatoo side, but it's a social learning on the human side," she said, with both humans and cockatoos observing what others of their species are doing to learn and adapt.

1. What are your thoughts on Sydney's garbage-eating cockatoos?

2. Are you surprised that cockatoos have learned to push heavy items off bin lids?

3. Do wild animals often cause problems where you live?

4. What types of birds can visitors to your town or city expect to see?

5. Have you ever had a bird as a pet? If not, would you consider getting one?

6. Do you think you'd enjoy studying animal behavior?

7. Have you had any memorable encounters with wild animals?

8. Are there any animals that you are afraid of or just genuinely dislike?