Innovation and geographic spread of a complex foraging culture in an urban parrot

Barbara C. Klump*, John M. Martin, Sonja Wild, Jana K. Hörsch, Richard E. Major, Lucy M. Aplin*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The emergence, spread, and establishment of innovations within cultures can promote adaptive responses to anthropogenic change. We describe a putative case of the development of a cultural adaptation to urban environments: opening of household waste bins by wild sulphur-crested cockatoos. A spatial network analysis of community science reports revealed the geographic spread of bin opening from three suburbs to 44 in Sydney, Australia, by means of social learning. Analysis of 160 direct observations revealed individual styles and site-specific differences. We describe a full pathway from the spread of innovation to emergence of geographic variation, evidencing foraging cultures in parrots and indicating the existence of cultural complexity in parrots. Bin opening is directly linked to human-provided opportunities, highlighting the potential for culture to facilitate behavioral responses to anthropogenic change.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)456-460
Number of pages5
JournalScience
Volume373
Issue number6553
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Jul 2021
Externally publishedYes

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