The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 03/09/2026CleverCockie lab member Lara Blumenstiel recently presented her work on cognitive testing in wild cockatoos to the public at Switzerland's largest science festival, Scientifica. The kids loved 'playing cockie' for sticker rewards! 051
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 31/08/2026How time flies! Clever cockie lab member, Sofia Bolcato, is presenting a wrap-up overview of her PhD this Wednesday. Come along to hear all about Parrots and People! 020
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 04/08/2026So chuffed to have had our work represented by 6(!) talks on Clever Cockies at @isbe2026.bsky.social ISBE 2026 Turin last week! Topics ranged from social networks (@julia-penndorf.bsky.social), bin-opening behaviour (@lucymaplin.bsky.social) & cognitive testing ( @shefalidorepalli.bsky.social)... 130
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectLucy Aplin @lucymaplin.bsky.social · 04/08/2026An exhausting but inspiring 5 days at #ISBE2026 @isbe2026.bsky.social. As always, a highlight was getting to bring the Uni Zurich and Australian National University halves of our lab group together, as well as catching up with past lab members! Even better if 1m long pizza is involved... 0163
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 25/05/2026New paper from @julia-penndorf.bsky.social and the CleverCockie research project! Foraging networks formed at the communal roost carry-over to breeding decisions: males occupy hollows closer to those of their social associates. More evidence of how influential social networks are in cockie life... 073
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 03/05/2026New paper from @julia-penndorf.bsky.social and the clever cockie research team! A wild experiment shows that cockies adopt novel foods via social learning, with info. transmitted across social networks & over space This works gives insight into how social learning enables niche expansion in cities 0177
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectCultural Evolution Society @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social · 01/05/2026A new episode of Transmissions is out! We feature Dr. Aiyana Willard, Reader in Psychology at Brunel University London. We talk about the adaptiveness of religion, including alternative beliefs such as witchcraft, tarot reading and other local healing practices. www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2m5...youtube.comTransmissions Episode 5 with Dr. Aiyana WillardYouTube video by Cultural Evolution Society 0129
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectRoyal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 30/03/2026Culture was assumed to be unique to humans, but recent scientific discoveries have revealed that it's in fact widespread in the animal kingdom. This #PhilTransB issue is the first to present a comprehensive picture of the science & implications of this: royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/issue/3... 16236
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectCourtney Hilton @courtneybhilton.bsky.social · 25/03/2026who wore it better? #australia 092
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectJulia Penndorf @julia-penndorf.bsky.social · 04/03/2026There is order in pandemonium 😜 1- We show that wild SC-cockies have sex & age structured hierarchies, stable for at least 3 years 🏆 2- We provide guidance on how to choose the right threshold for your data when using rElo. 152
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 04/03/2026It turns out there is order in the apparent cockie chaos! In a new paper from the Clever Cockie Research Group; @julia-penndorf.bsky.social and co-authors show how roost of wild SC-cockies exhibit linear dominance hierarchies that are stable over 3+ years. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...sciencedirect.comLong-term stability of dominance hierarchies in a wild parrot with fission–fusion dynamicsDominance hierarchies are a common feature of stable groups, allowing animals to limit the costs of fighting over access to resources. However, althou… 062
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectCulture Conference @cultconf.bsky.social · 02/03/2026What a pre-conference workshop on Bayesian statistical methods—a powerful toolkit for our community! 📊 Many thanks to Daniel Redhead and Ramona Roller for guiding us through STRAND and to Michael Chimento for the introduction to STbayes. And thank you to all participants for their energy! 🙌 1138
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 26/02/2026New paper out from the Clever Cockie Research Project - how does problem-solving different across social and environmental gradients within the urban matrix? 040
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectKeith McMahon @mcmahok.bsky.social · 16/01/2026We are hiring at the Wytham Woods for the upcoming field season. 4 roles available. Please share with anyone who might be interested. #UKbirds #birdringing 13558
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectAndrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · 19/01/2026More #kakapo matings - another from Whenua Hou, and Te Kākahu/Chalky Island is off the mark! That's particularly exciting, as it's our low-intensity management site. Whenua Hou: Tumeke 💚 Gulliver Te Kākahu: Rimu 💚 Jack #conservation #parrots A 325740
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectASSAB @animbehav.bsky.social · 08/01/2026Happy 2026 ASSABers! We hope you had a stunning holiday break and a very happy New Year. A reminder that our conference is a little over 5 months away! 044
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectIMPRS-QBEE @imprs-qbee.bsky.social · 15/12/2025How do pigeons balance the need to feed with the need to stay safe? IMPRS-QBEE student Mathilde Delacoux working with Fumihiro Kano, uses motion capture to study how information transfers through pigeon flocks. @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social youtube.com/shorts/w5p_Z...youtube.comMathilde Delacoux | Collective vigilance in pigeonsYouTube video by Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior 086
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 02/01/2026Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the clever cockie team! Here’s to a year of exploration and discovery 🥂 040
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 19/12/2025Our paper on cockatoos innovating+social learning the use of bubblers as an urban water source was one of the 10 most popular papers for 2025 in the Royal Society's journals. Couldn't be more pleased! royalsociety.org/blog/2025/12... 0112
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectLucy Aplin @lucymaplin.bsky.social · 16/12/2025We couldn't have asked for a better end-of-year lab BBQ / stroll at a local nature reserve. Spotted platypus, emu, bandicoots, roos, wallabies, YTBC (black cockies), wedge-tailed eagles, and of course hundreds of sulphur-crested cockies feasting on the wattles. Glorious! 0202
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 18/10/2025Peak cockatoo breeding season! Look out for those pairs lucky enough to secure rare real estate; they should be feeding chicks now. 0103
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 01/10/2025Big day yesterday, CleverCockie lab member Lisa Fontana @lisafontana.bsky.social finished the last day of data collection for her PhD, completing an experiment on social learning in cockatoos. Congratulations Lisa! 🎉 0174
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectWai-Hong Tham @thamlab.bsky.social · 29/09/2025Our first Tham Lab photo with Megan Outram and Grace Jones @biologyanu.bsky.social 🐸 We want to understand how chytrid fungus infects frogs using structural biology, nanobodies & genetic engineering Excited to be branching out to fungal diseases #chytrid #nanobodies #fungus #effector 0192
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 19/09/2025Another clever cockie: apnews.com/article/hong...apnews.comOne of the rarest birds in the world finds a city sanctuary in Hong KongYellow-crested cockatoos have found a sanctuary in Hong Kong's urban parks, but they face housing troubles similar to their human neighbors. 020
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 18/09/2025Caught mid fluff! Little corellas are a smaller species of cockatoo (Cacatua sanguinea) that often join sulphur-crested cockatoo flocks, especially in urban areas. 0134
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 02/09/2025That's the spot...! A trio of allopreening cockies engaging in some social bonding at our field-site, captured by @elliearose.bsky.social. If you'd like to learn more about when and why cockies allopreen, check out a recent paper by @julia-penndorf.bsky.social: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 02911
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 29/08/2025Saturday morning cockatoo 071
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectAlan McElligott @amcell.bsky.social · 19/08/2025Hong Kong scientist puts hope in nest boxes to save endangered cockatoos phys.org/news/2025-08...phys.orgHK scientist puts hope in nest boxes to save endangered cockatoosAbove the teeming shopping streets of Hong Kong's Causeway Bay district, a fight to save one of the world's most endangered species is unfolding high in the branches of a decades-old cotton tree. 052
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 15/08/2025Lab member Lara Blumenstiel is currently wrapping up the last stage of training before moving on to cognitive testing. Sydney's clever cockies are playing her custom puzzle-box like pros! 0278
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectRoyal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 15/08/2025#BiologyLetters in @theguardian.com | Prevalence and implications of sex reversal in free-living birds: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...theguardian.com‘Mind-blown’: scientists discover sex reversal in kookaburras and lorikeets with cause unknownAlmost all of the ‘sex discordant’ birds were genetically female but had male reproductive organs, study finds 094
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research Projectmichael chimento @mchimento.bsky.social · 13/08/2025📣 Interested in cultural evolution and artificial life? Call for abstracts for our upcoming workshop at @alife2025.bsky.social. Accepted abstracts will be presented as flash talks, and are not archival. Deadline is the September 12, w/ rolling acceptance. Details: sites.google.com/view/planetx... 🧪 23022
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectBirdLife Australia @birdlifeoz.bsky.social · 12/08/2025It’s #NationalScienceWeek! 🐦 Our HANZAB encyclopaedia is now online & free – covering every bird ever recorded in Aus, NZ & Antarctica. Updated with the latest taxonomy & threat statuses, it’s a game-changer for bird lovers & researchers alike 🔗 hanzab.birdlife.org.au #BirdLifeAustralia #Birds 25731
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectASSAB @animbehav.bsky.social · 06/08/2025Students of ASSAB! You can now apply for the 2025 student research grants here: www.assab.org/grants-2025 We have two grants available for up to AUD$2500, we will also select two highly commended applications. Deadline: August 31st 2025assab.orgOur 2024 Grants 025
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 03/08/2025An extremely clever cockie, or one regretting their life choices? Spotted at our Canberra field-site by @lisafontana.bsky.social, it's first time we've seen a sulphur-crested cockatoo successfully fledge 3 chicks! The usual is 2 eggs laid, resulting in 0-1 chicks. 0227
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectLucy Aplin @lucymaplin.bsky.social · 02/08/2025An exciting & important new paper by @annamkearns.bsky.social & co-authors: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10..... Conservation genomics of the previously assumed to be extinct night parrot, showing recent connectivity between populations ~2000 km apart, but very low effective population sizes.onlinelibrary.wiley.comMuseomics and Salvaged Feathers Piece Together the Evolutionary History and Conservation Genomics of the Elusive, Critically Endangered Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis)The Night Parrot is a critically endangered nocturnal bird of Australia's arid zone. The species was “lost” for most of the 20th century until its rediscovery in 1990. Extant populations are now know.... 097
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectAustralian Science Media Centre @aussmc.bsky.social · 23/07/2025🐤 Like humans, animals can become stressed when trying to lead a group of peers in a particular direction, says @scienceanu.bsky.socialbuff.lyLeading the way comes at a cost for feathered friendsLeading the way comes at a cost for feathered friends Like humans, animals can become stressed when trying to lead a group of peers in a particular direction, a new study from The Austral 0127
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectMax Planck Institute of Animal Behavior @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social · 30/07/2025From bio-logging to conservation 🔽 New paper by an @animaltracking.bsky.social dream team @diegoellissoto.bsky.social @anflack.bsky.social @arispeshkin.bsky.social Timm Wild, Hannah Williams, @teagueo.bsky.social @cbehav.bsky.social @uni-konstanz.de www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...pnas.orgFrom biologging to conservation: Tracking individual performance in changing environments | PNASUnder an accelerating biodiversity crisis, increased urbanization, habitat fragmentation, and climate change require new approaches to assess conse... 02612
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 29/07/2025Why hello there! Sunrise behind some early birds at one of our Sydney field-sites. 0152
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 26/07/2025No, it's not a sulphur-crested cockatoo, but it is a clever cockie! Masters student Miro van den Berg is using light-weight BLE-tags to study the urban lives of the gorgeous gang-gang cockatoo. You can read more here: sites.google.com/site/lucymap... 0204
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 22/07/2025The crest tends to get all the attention, but cockies also have incredibly expressive chin feathers, aka the 'fluffenchops' - combined with the head tilt, this expression says "curious but relaxed and content". 0132
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 15/07/2025You want us to do what now? The first steps of Lara training Sydney's wild cockatoos on how to play a touchscreen task... We've found that it take about 2-3 weeks for cockies to go from these first steps to using the full apparatus, which we can then use to test individuals' cognitive abilities. 1214
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research ProjectLucy Aplin @lucymaplin.bsky.social · 04/06/2025Two paper just out from the #clevercockieproject! @julia-penndorf.bsky.social reveals how cockies play politics when deciding who to aggress: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.... & @barbaraklump.bsky.social describes a new 'drinking innovation': royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... 09030
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 10/07/2025Our central Sydney 2025 field-season has begun! Lee (undergrad intern) and Shefali (PhD student) are marking cockies with temporary paint dots as a first step to measure cognitive performance on standardised tests. 191
The Clever Cockie Research Project @clevercockierp.bsky.social · 08/07/2025Hi Bluesky! 👋 We're the account for the Clever Cockie Project, researching culture and cognition in urban sulphur-crested cockatoos. We'll post updates from the field, along with our recent results and publications. You can find more, including our current team, here: www.clevercockies.com/the-team 11710