Australia's crafty, sulphur-crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita) appear to have entered an 'innovation arms race' with humans, scientists say, as the two species spar over the rubbish in roadside bins.
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"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.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.
The scientists found in an earlier study that knowledge of this technique spread as other birds looked on, creating local"traditions". As humans responded, though,"I was really astonished by how many different methods people have invented," she said. "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."I think ultimately it will be the humans," said Klump.
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