The Case of the Trash Bin Bandits

    Australia is home to some of the world’s most dangerous animals. 

    Huge sharks swim along its coasts. Deadly snakes slither in the trees. Giant spiders hide under rocks. 

    But the animals causing big problems around the city of Sydney don’t look quite so scary. 

    They’re big, beautiful white birds. 

    Sulfur-crested cockatoos are a type of large parrot. They’re slightly smaller than chickens. They may be pretty—but they can also be pests.

    Australia is home to some of the world’s most dangerous animals. 

    Huge sharks swim along its coasts. Deadly snakes slither in the trees. Big spiders hide under rocks.

    But the animals causing problems around the city of Sydney don’t look scary.

    They’re beautiful white birds.

    Sulfur-crested cockatoos are a type of large parrot. They’re slightly smaller than chickens. They’re pretty, but they can be pests too.

    Australia is home to some of the world’s most dangerous animals.

    Huge sharks swim along its coasts, deadly snakes slither in the trees, and giant spiders hide under rocks. 

    But the animals causing big problems around the city of Sydney don’t look especially frightening. 

    They’re big, beautiful white birds. 

    Sulfur-crested cockatoos are a type of large parrot. They’re slightly smaller than chickens. They may be pretty—but they can also be pests.

    Sydney is Australia’s second-largest city. In 2018, people in three Sydney suburbs noticed something strange. Their trash bins were being raided by cockatoos. These clever criminals were making off with sandwich crusts and other tasty treats. Often, the birds left behind a mess of garbage on the street. 

    Opening a trash bin might not sound like a big deal to you. But it’s a pretty tricky task when you don’t have hands. However, cockatoos are very smart birds. They can use tools and figure out puzzles.

    The birds in these neighborhoods had learned a new trick. They were using their beak and claws to flip the heavy lids. Now they were teaching their cockatoo neighbors how to do it.

    By the end of 2019, birds in 44 neighborhoods were opening bins. 

    Sydney is Australia’s second-largest city. In 2018, people in three Sydney suburbs noticed something strange. Cockatoos were raiding their trash bins. The birds were grabbing sandwich crusts and other treats. Often, they left behind a mess of trash on the street.

    Opening a trash bin might not sound like much to you. But try doing it with no hands. Cockatoos are very smart birds. They use tools. They solve puzzles.

    The birds had learned a new trick. They could use their beak and claws to flip the heavy lids. Now they were teaching their cockatoo neighbors how to do it.

    By the end of 2019, birds in 44 

    Sydney is Australia’s second-largest city. In 2018, people in three Sydney suburbs noticed that their trash bins were being raided by cockatoos. These clever criminals were making off with sandwich crusts and other tasty treats. Often, the birds left behind a mess of garbage on the street. 

    Opening a trash bin might not sound like a big deal to you, but it’s a pretty tricky task when you don’t have hands. However, cockatoos are very smart birds—they can use tools and figure out puzzles.

    The birds in these neighborhoods had learned a new trick: using their beak and claws to flip the heavy lids. Before long, they were teaching their cockatoo neighbors how to do it.

    By the end of 2019, birds in 44 neighborhoods were opening bins.