Wild cockatoos may have unlocked a hidden survival trick: The surprising way they learn what is safe to eat

For years, scientists have known that wild cockatoos are unusually clever. These birds can open bins, solve simple puzzles, and even copy tricks from one another. Now, new research suggests they may also be teaching each other which foods are safe to eat. That matters more than it sounds. Urban birds constantly stumble across strange snacks left behind by humans, and eating the wrong thing could make them seriously ill. Researchers studying sulphur-crested cockatoos in Sydney reportedly found that the birds copied their friends when deciding whether colourful new foods were safe. It seems to be another sign that these parrots are not just noisy city survivors. They might actually be social learners in a surprisingly sophisticated way. Experts say this behaviour could help explain why some cockatoos thrive so well in busy urban environments while many other birds struggle.The study, published in the journal PLOS Biology, focused on wild sulphur-crested cockatoos living across Sydney in Sydney. Researchers worked with more than 700 birds from several roosting communities.Cockatoos are famously curious animals. Study co-author Julia Penndorf reportedly said the birds constantly interrupted the scientists while they were trying to mark them with safe paint. Some balanced on paint bottles. One apparently even managed to interact with an unlocked phone left on the ground. Very cockatoo behaviour.As reported by Discover Magazine, the team first trained a small number of birds to eat dyed almonds. Some were taught to prefer red almonds. Others learned to eat blue ones. Once those trained birds became comfortable with the unusual snacks, scientists introduced both colours into the wider bird communities. Many untrained cockatoos immediately copied the food choices of the birds they had watched. On the very first day, they mostly chose the almond colour favoured by the trained demonstrators. That pattern appears difficult to explain by coincidence alone.In cities, birds encounter endless unfamiliar foods. Chips. Bread. Processed leftovers. Random scraps from bins. Some are harmless. Some are not. Experts say social learning may help cockatoos avoid dangerous mistakes.Instead of every bird taking the risk of testing unknown foods alone, they seem to observe what others eat first. If another cockatoo eats something and survives, the food suddenly becomes less suspicious. It is a bit like humans watching friends order food at a restaurant before deciding what looks safe or appealing.Researchers also noticed that younger birds behaved differently from older ones. Juvenile cockatoos appeared more cautious around unfamiliar foods at first. Still, they were also more likely to follow the crowd once a preference became popular within the group. Young birds reportedly kept adjusting their choices depending on what the rest of the flock was doing. Older birds seemed more set in their habits.The study was not only about food colour. Scientists also discovered that cockatoos copied each other’s almond-opening methods. Different communities developed slightly different techniques for cracking open the nuts.Researchers say this hints at a form of cultural behaviour in wild cockatoos. Certain habits appear to spread socially through specific groups rather than being instinctive behaviours shared by every bird automatically. That idea has become increasingly important in animal behaviour research.Social learning has already been documented in animals like dolphins, chimpanzees and meerkats. Some whales reportedly learn hunting tricks from one another too. Earlier this year, another study suggested humpback whales may spread bubble-net feeding techniques socially through populations.Anyone who has spent time in parts of Australia knows cockatoos can feel almost impossible to outsmart. Loud. Destructive sometimes. Bold enough to raid bins in broad daylight. Experts suggest their willingness to watch and copy one another gives them an advantage in rapidly changing urban spaces. Cities evolve constantly. New foods appear overnight. Human habits change. Rubbish changes too.A bird species that can socially share information probably adapts much faster than species relying only on instinct. That adaptability may be one reason sulphur-crested cockatoos continue flourishing while many other parrots struggle with habitat loss and urban expansion.Researchers believe understanding this behaviour could eventually help conservation work. If scientists learn more about how parrots share knowledge socially, it might help endangered species adapt to human-altered environments more successfully.