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Comment by doctor_eval | Hacker News Reader

We had cockatoos who lived with us north of Melbourne (out St Andrews way). They are great birds, and fascinating to watch, and also, if you feed good quality bird seed then they will come around at the same time every day, and be your friends, and if one day you don't feed them for some reason, they deliberately throw your pot plants off your window ledge, one by one, smashing them to the ground, and then you swear never, ever to feed the brilliant little fuckers again.

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Years back when I lived in South Morang, they would go house to house digging through the rubbish bins. Even if you put bricks on the lids, they would team up to topple them off and get the lid open.

Nowadays I live a little further south, we have clouds of screaming Cockies every morning. I wouldn't dare feed them for fear they would bring the entire hoard.

They are cool birds bu very... independent if you will.

> Even if you put bricks on the lids, they would team up to topple them off and get the lid open.

Sounds like a perfect opportunity to place a jack-in-the-box. :)

I'd be worried they'd plot some kind of revenge.

Rainbow Lorikeets are similarly fascinating birds.

However like Cockatoos, if you forget to feed them, they will happily destroy everything. I remember seeing photos years ago of someone who'd been feeding Rainbow Lorikeets regularly from their wooden balcony.

They went away for a few weeks and came back to find that most of the balcony railing where they'd normally provide feed had been torn apart like a thousand tiny little woodchippers had been at it.

It was one of those stories that I've remembered and repeat to anyone who decides to feed the cute birds that come around.

I got the opportunity to see some in an aviary. They are so friendly and vibrant.

Lived out that way growing up. They gnawed at our weatherboards and deck railing. Always a major PITA.

Pot plants, you say? I am sorry for your loss.

Pot plants are just potted plants in Australian parlance.

I think the parent commenter knows that, I took it as a humorous deliberate misreading to get the joke in.

As they slowly dismantle your house, your car, and ultimately.. your life.

Bird Spotting

In 2007, our one year old son was tossing them food while we’d turned around. We were on a 9th floor patio and hadn’t seen the bird join us.

We just avoided him getting pecked!

Can confirm this is 100% true. They are super smart and super destructive.

As they slowly dismantle your house, your car, your life.

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