Clever Cockatoos Have Taught Themselves How To Open Rubbish Bins Stewart Perrie 1:23, 26 July 2021 BST Cockatoos are the new bin chickens after research revealed they can open rubbish bin lids by themselves. Loading… Scientists from Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany have helped study the sulphur-crested cockatoo's ability to teach itself and others how to break into our bins to feast on leftovers. It all started when a Sydney researcher noticed the iconic bird manoeuvring itself around the lid to pry it open without any help from others. Advert 10 Ornithologist Richard Major, from the Australian Museum Research Institute, informed scientists half a world away and they started looking into how this incredible feat of animal intelligence was formed.