> Although the cockatoos can manipulate the fountain’s handles, they don’t always quench their thirsts. The team found that only 41% of attempts ended with the birds successfully drinking water. The animals struggled especially when other cockatoos crowded or rushed them.

"learned to operate" is an overstatement. They brute-forced a way to get water sometimes. Lots of animals do that. Mice learn or figure out how to get such water rewards - it's used every day in labs studying the brain