‘Bizarre and fascinating’: Rogue cockatoo hurls pot plants off Melbourne balcony

A cockatoo has gone viral after bombarding a popular Melbourne cafe strip with pot plants.

A rambunctious cockatoo has gone viral after it was filmed “cockybombing” passers-by on Melbourne’s illustrious Flinders Lane cafe strip earlier this week.

A video posted to a popular meme page showed a cockatoo dropping pot plants from an apartment balcony onto the laneway below – one plant is shown bouncing off an awning and slamming into a parked van.

The hilarious footage has been viewed about 1.5 million between Brown Cardigan’s Instagram and TikTok accounts.

While falling pot plants are unquestionably a hazard – plenty saw the lighter side of the menacing bird’s floral bombardment.

Rogue cockatoo hurls pot plants off a balcony above Flinders Lane in Melbourne. Picture: Brown Cardigan/ TikTok

The footage showed debris strewn across the footbath below. Picture: Brown Cardigan/ TikTok

“Insurance claim on the car: G’day, a bird has pegged a pot at my car and dinted it – I’d like to make a claim,” one person wrote.

“I mean, my removalists were a bunch of galahs, but this is ridiculous,” another joked.

Lucie Amulet, the owner of a nearby cafe, told the ABC that birds on Flinders Lane often caused trouble this time of year.

“It happens every year. They mostly drop plants but also socks as well,” she said.

Ms Amulet said a nearby resident has recently apologised to her cafe for feeding the birds.

“She said she has been feeding the cockatoos for ages and noticed them dropping things, and she apologised because she thought it was her fault – But I think it is fun,” she said.

The man who filmed the video lived nearby and told ABC cockatoos had twice raided his balcony.

“It started happening during lockdown,” he said.

“I think it is quirky and funny. There is nothing you can do about it. At the end of the day, it is nature.”

Urban bird behaviour expert Dr John Martin from Western Sydney University’s animal ecology lab told the broadcaster the sulphur-crested cockatoo’s behaviour was very unusual.

Sulphur-crested cockatoo snapped recently drinking from a coffee cup on a South Melbourne balcony. Picture: Supplied

“Wilfully throwing pot plants off a multistorey balcony is a new observation – it is bizarre and fascinating,” he said.

“Obviously, it is good it did not hurt someone.”

He also suspected feeding could be a precursor, but simple play could have also been the explanation.

“We are certainly familiar with cockatoos knocking on windows to get fed, so it could be associated with someone feeding it,” he said.

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

Sulphur crested cockatoos just want to eat and have fun.

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

The City of Melbourne is reportedly looking into the behaviour to assess whether of not it is an ongoing issue.

In the meantime, it recommends not leaving food or plants on balconies that might attract birds.