• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Cheeky cockatoo seen throwing pot plants off an Australian balcony

Home> News

Published 05:14 30 Nov 2022 GMT

Cheeky cockatoo seen throwing pot plants off an Australian balcony

Like an eagle ripping a goat off a mountain, this sulphur-crested cockatoo had no cares as it threw the homeowner's goods.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Cockatoos are known to be fairly cheeky when they're roaming the streets of Australia.

But one particularly egregious bird has been spotted being an all-round general menace to society.

Footage has emerged on social media showing the sulphur-crested cockatoo perched on someone's balcony in Melbourne.

While that might initially be no cause for alarm, the animal was casually dropping pot plants onto the ground from several storeys up.

Advert

The video shows one pot smash onto the ground on Flinders Lane, with passersby worrying this was from some careless homeowner.

Jason filmed the clip, which has been posted by Brown Cardigan, told the ABC the cockatoos have been wreaking havoc on their balconies for a few years.

"It started happening during lockdown. I think it is quirky and funny," he said. "There is nothing you can do about it. At the end of the day it is nature."

Tell that to the unwitting person who doesn't see the debris and gets clocked in the head with a pot plant during their morning commute to work.

Advert

Western Sydney University animal ecology lab researcher John Martin was baffled by the footage.

He explained to the ABC that cockatoo behaviour has been well documented in the past, but still, this is a surprise.

"Wilfully throwing pot plants off a multi-storey balcony is a new observation – it is bizarre and fascinating," he said.

"We are certainly familiar with cockatoos knocking on windows to get fed, so it could be associated with someone feeding it," Dr Martin said.

"Or this bird might have thought this was fun – but we don't know exactly what they are thinking.

Advert

"We see them swinging around on powerlines and having a laugh, and the human interpretation is there is an element of play."

You should be aware that cockatoos are fairly intelligent beings.

One bird in particular managed to teach itself how to remove a brick that was on top of a bin.

The brick was put there by homeowners who were clearly trying to prevent birds from getting in and pulling their rubbish onto the ground.

While a brick can be heavy for a small bird, it was no match for one cockatoo and footage of the moment went viral on Reddit.

Advert

Researchers have also observed a flock of cockatoos learning how to open the bin lid when it's unobscured.

The behaviour ended up spreading from three Sydney suburbs in 2018 to 44 jurisdictions in just 18 months.

Featured Image Credit: Jason/Brown Cardigan/Instagram

Topics: Austin Butler, Animals, Viral

Stewart Perrie
Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Senior Journalist at LADbible. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign. He is in charge of the LADbible Australia editorial content and social presence.

X

@stewartperrie

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

8 hours ago
9 hours ago
  • 8 hours ago

    Man who killed twisted murderer Jeffrey Dahmer explains why he did it

    The notorious serial killer was killed in 1994

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Elon Musk forms his 'own political party' after fallout with Trump

    Looks like the tech billionaire isn't done with politics after all

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Woman who lives in underground bunker with no windows reveals how much she saves on rent

    At least she's ready for the apocalypse

    News
  • 9 hours ago

    Man who chose to live underwater for 100 days to see what would happen to his body reveals shocking impact it had

    Dr Joseph Dituri spent 100 days at sea in 2023

    News
  • Australian PM issues scathing comment to influencer who snatched baby wombat from its mother
  • Orangutan hilariously seen throwing unwanted possum from its zoo enclosure
  • Dolphins seen leaping off UK coast in rare sighting
  • Critically Endangered Orangutan Seen Smoking At Zoo In Shocking Footage