Sulphur-crested cockatoo stops foot traffic on Flinders Lane

The cockatoo was seen in the popular tourist destination dotted with cafes and close to Melbourne's iconic Degraves Street laneway.

Flinders Lane café manager Lucie Amulet told the ABC "it happens every year".

"They mostly drop plants but also socks as well," she said.

The birds are known to share new food-finding tactics with other sulphur-crested cockatoos in their area, research scientist at the Taronga Conservation Society Dr John Martin told ACM earlier this year.

"These birds are really inquisitive" he said.

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Sulphur-crested cockatoos tend to stay within a small geographical area, so socially transmitted behaviours will likely spread slowly, Dr Martin said.

The City of Melbourne encourages residents in the area to remove loose items from their balcony including sources of food for the birds.