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Comment by zizee | Hacker News Reader

> There are few Australian animals more reviled than the white ibis.

I just want to say that as a Queenslander who has had Ibises run off with whole steaks brazingly zoinked straight off a sizzling bbq, I think reviled is a bit hyperbolic. I have think people mostly have a grudging respect for these bbq bandits

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Yep. Ibis are generally dirty, walk awkwardly, even take flight and land pretty awkwardly so they’re easy to dislike

But they’re pretty chill dudes. Lots of others birds will try to shove them off somewhere else and they’ll either wander away off their own accord, or they’ll completely ignore the other birds (probably a mynah) and just keep eating. They never really fight, they just mosy along

Then you see this big lump of a bird try to find a comfy spot in a big tree which isn’t the most graceful sight so it’s kinda funny. And then out of nowhere (because they’re so quiet) they’ll remind you that love a good HONK. Sometimes they’ll even HONK, HONK, HONK, EEEEK

they’re alright

The most interesting thing about bin chickens to me is how they got their name.

They never used to bother Sydney very much until one bird, yes one, was brought into the city on a boat. It managed to get back to it's home land, the next year, hundreds of them migrated into the city and raided the abundant food available in the cities bins.

These aren't stupid birds, they're intelligent and communicate with their peers about food availability.

FYI, youre underplaying the migration aspect. For NSW, and I believe other states, their migration was a byproduct of habitat loss/pressure. Their native habitat is riverine and marsh lands, like macquarie marshes. As ag and surface water “reclamation” impacted those areas the birds were forced to migrate. As an example before the 1980s there were huge flocks in macqaurie and none recorded in sydney. By 2000s theyre functionally absent from macqaurie and only surviving in (sub)urban areas with easy food and water access.

This riverine habitat loss is why you unfortunately see them nesting in palms in the city. It resembles the reedy habitat theycome from and keeps them safe-ish from urban cats, rats, etc. The downside is theyre not arborial birds and they lose tons of chicks and fledglings to falling out of the trees and dying. Same with appearing “dirty” because they dont have proper water access to clean and preen.

In short, we destroyed their habitat and theyre hanging on where they still can. Welcome to the lucky country.

Very interesting. Come to think of it I can remember a time when ibises were never about (this was a time of sparrows before miners took over the city). Anyway, one year ibises suddenly appeared as if out of nowhere. (When I first saw them I thought they were some exotic bird that had escaped captivity.)

We may have destroyed their natural habitat but I reckon they're more than just hanging on—they seem to have adapted to our city environment extremely well.

Thanks, you've answered a question I posed above before reading your post when I said they're the dirtiest scruffiest birds I've seen and wondered how clean they'd be in a natural environment.

Interesting indeed! Im definitely not authoritative, but my partner did some biology research and field work in this general area. My slightly vaguer recollection is that yes for Sydney there was a big mass migration year when the marshes and murray darling were particularly stuffed up.

Do you happen to have a source for that story? That’s really interesting.

You're right about them being dirty. I've probably seen a clean one but I can't remember it, the overwhelming impression I have of them is that they are the dirtiest scruffiest birds that I know. I wonder how clean they are when living in a natural nonhuman environment.

One thing is certain, they're bold, smart, calculating and cunning (you've no doubt noticed how they'll steal food the split second you cease paying immediate attention to it).

Can't say I like them much but I admire their survival tactics.

Fuck I miss Queensland, lived there for 4 years.

Me too. I’ve been away for 5 years. Too long, time to move back!

Agree. I think they’re awesome birds and it is so cool they such an exotic looking bird should be considered a pest.

Agree, I would say they’re on par with the magpie in terms of grudging respect.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_magpie

I love magpies. Clever birds, iconic look, and beautiful songs, but they are super aggressive territorial bastards for a month or so a year.

Yes, I've been violently harassed by them while waking and riding bicycles through "their" territory - many people disagree, but I still think they are great.

The trick is to befriend your local magpies throughout the year. Build trust and they’ll leave you alone.

I find talking to them is a great way for to gain their confidence.

Let them see you and see that you are not threat. Treat them like a dog you want to gain the confidence of an you can't go too far wrong. Don't chase them, just or rush at them, just let them that you belong in the space as well and are not a threat.

Don't feed them. They don't need you to and unless you do it right you can make them very sick.

They are a pest here in New Zealand as they attack and kill native birds.

They are also complete arseholes and appear to teach their which humans to attack.

That’s great unless the kid down the road throws stones at them and they decide to declare war on all humans.

Yep. I’ve only ever been swooped a handful of times. I try to be friendly to the local magpies and they leave me alone.

how can we start this, just feed them?

Question: Why don't aussies have lids on their BBQs?

The ibises are usually located on the coast, by a beach where humans hang out. In Queensland, the council typically provide free BBQ facilities to cook your lunch. It’s often a great experience. The free BBQs are electric and on a timer, with a flat grill. I’m guessing this is the type of BBQ the hapless steak was stolen from.

Many NSW beach BBQs are gas AFAIK. I guess this is because buried high voltage infrastructure costs more to install to remote locations than an occasional gas bottle change.

Yes, I understand that. I don't think I've ever seen an Aussie with a grill that has a lid though? It's all flat grills.

The LPG BBQ on our back deck has a lid, and our setup is very common. (Keep in mind when we say “BBQ” we usually mean grilling, which is not what many Americans would call “BBQ”.)

If you go to Bunnings and look for a BBQ, heaps of them have lids.

Almost all of the barbecues you can buy now at Bunnings or Barbecues Galore (probably the two biggest Australian retailers for barbecues by far), have lids/hoods.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/products/outdoor-living/barbecue

https://www.barbequesgalore.com.au/barbeques/free-standing/

Most backyard grills will have them. It's just culturally people use the public parks and facilities a lot

I do, but I've had snags taken by kookaburras just trying to move them onto a plate before taking them inside.

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