When scientist Barbara Klump saw some cockatoos operate a water fountain in Australia, a million questions flashed through her mind.

That’s understandable. How did they learn; why did they learn? Can all cockatoos do that and can they teach it? Why not just drink from the stream?

When it comes to displays of animal intelligence, there can never be too many questions, the answers to which Klump set out to solve through a video research project.

The ethnologist at the University of Vienna first saw the behavior in person, but she thought someone had just left the water running. Later, video footage showed how the cockatoos could use their claws and body weight to turn the spring-loaded handle to activate the water flow.

Published Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters based on resear

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