Clever cockatoos know how to open rubbish bin lids, video goes viral

A new study has revealed that cockatoos could open rubbish bin lids by themselves followed by another research about the birds having the ability to solve complex mechanical puzzles.

The scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour in Germany detected a unique ability of cockatoos as the birds were able to open rubbish bin lids by themselves.

The revelation was made while studying the behaviour of sulphur-crested cockatoos and their ability to teach themselves during the search for food.

The research was started after ornithologist Richard Major noticed a cockatoo manoeuvring itself around a garbage lid in a bid to pry it open, reports said. In 2018, Richard Major, who works at Australian Museum Research Institute, took note of the behaviour and informed scientists.

When the research started, it was found that three suburbs in Sydney had cockatoos that could open bins. More than a year later, the count of suburbs grew to 44.

The birds most likely learned the skill from each other while searching for food, the research team said.

A detailed study report has been published in the journal Science.

It states that animals with ‘unpredictable food sources’ have the ability to adapt to ‘rapidly changing environment’. In such a scenario, some animals train themselves new tricks for food tracking and retrieval.

The scientists said that both male and female cockatoos can learn the skill to open bins. However, the male is believed to be more dominant in using the skill.

Earlier, a team of scientists from Oxford University, the University of Vienna and the Max Planck Institute found after conducting tests on ten untrained Tanimbar corellas that the birds were able to solve complex mechanical puzzles.