The Clever Cockie Research Project
@clevercockierp.bsky.social
Account for the research project jointly run at ANU and UZH and led by Lucy Aplin, studying spread of innovation, culture and cognition in urban cockatoos
https://www.clevercockies.com/
https://www.clevercockies.com/
Peak cockatoo breeding season! Look out for those pairs lucky enough to secure rare real estate; they should be feeding chicks now.
October 18, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Peak cockatoo breeding season! Look out for those pairs lucky enough to secure rare real estate; they should be feeding chicks now.
Big 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! 🎉
October 1, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Big 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! 🎉
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research Project
Our 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
🐸 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
September 29, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Our 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
🐸 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
Another clever cockie: apnews.com/article/hong...
One of the rarest birds in the world finds a city sanctuary in Hong Kong
Yellow-crested cockatoos have found a sanctuary in Hong Kong's urban parks, but they face housing troubles similar to their human neighbors.
apnews.com
September 19, 2025 at 4:34 AM
Another clever cockie: apnews.com/article/hong...
Caught mid fluff! Little corellas are a smaller species of cockatoo (Cacatua sanguinea) that often join sulphur-crested cockatoo flocks, especially in urban areas.
September 18, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Caught mid fluff! Little corellas are a smaller species of cockatoo (Cacatua sanguinea) that often join sulphur-crested cockatoo flocks, especially in urban areas.
That'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...
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...
September 2, 2025 at 6:38 AM
That'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...
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...
Saturday morning cockatoo
August 29, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Saturday morning cockatoo
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research Project
Hong Kong scientist puts hope in nest boxes to save endangered cockatoos phys.org/news/2025-08...
HK scientist puts hope in nest boxes to save endangered cockatoos
Above 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.
phys.org
August 19, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Hong Kong scientist puts hope in nest boxes to save endangered cockatoos phys.org/news/2025-08...
Lab 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!
August 15, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Lab 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!
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research Project
#BiologyLetters in @theguardian.com | Prevalence and implications of sex reversal in free-living birds: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
‘Mind-blown’: scientists discover sex reversal in kookaburras and lorikeets with cause unknown
Almost all of the ‘sex discordant’ birds were genetically female but had male reproductive organs, study finds
www.theguardian.com
August 15, 2025 at 9:00 AM
#BiologyLetters in @theguardian.com | Prevalence and implications of sex reversal in free-living birds: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research Project
📣 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... 🧪
August 13, 2025 at 8:56 AM
📣 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... 🧪
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research Project
It’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
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
August 12, 2025 at 12:19 AM
It’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
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
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research Project
Students 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 2025
We have two grants available for up to AUD$2500, we will also select two highly commended applications.
Deadline: August 31st 2025
Our 2024 Grants
www.assab.org
August 5, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Students 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 2025
We have two grants available for up to AUD$2500, we will also select two highly commended applications.
Deadline: August 31st 2025
An 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.
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.
August 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
An 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.
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.
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research Project
An 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.
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.
Museomics 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....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 2, 2025 at 8:59 AM
An 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.
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.
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research Project
🐤 Like humans, animals can become stressed when trying to lead a group of peers in a particular direction, says @scienceanu.bsky.social
Leading the way comes at a cost for feathered friends
Leading 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
buff.ly
July 23, 2025 at 5:40 AM
🐤 Like humans, animals can become stressed when trying to lead a group of peers in a particular direction, says @scienceanu.bsky.social
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research Project
From 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/...
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/...
From biologging to conservation: Tracking individual performance in changing environments | PNAS
Under an accelerating biodiversity crisis, increased urbanization, habitat fragmentation,
and climate change require new approaches to assess conse...
www.pnas.org
July 30, 2025 at 6:26 AM
From 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/...
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/...
Why hello there! Sunrise behind some early birds at one of our Sydney field-sites.
July 29, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Why hello there! Sunrise behind some early birds at one of our Sydney field-sites.
No, 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...
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...
July 26, 2025 at 8:17 AM
No, 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...
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...
The 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".
July 22, 2025 at 4:22 AM
The 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".
You 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.
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.
July 15, 2025 at 2:34 AM
You 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.
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.
Reposted by The Clever Cockie Research Project
Two 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/...
@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/...
June 4, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Two 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/...
@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/...
Our 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.
July 10, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Our 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.
Hi 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
July 8, 2025 at 7:22 AM
Hi 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