The Australian white ibis (Threskiornis molucca) nickname "bin chicken" comes from its habit of rummaging through urban rubbish bins and landfills to scavenge for human food scraps – using their long, down-curved beaks which evolved for probing wetlands. It is a native species that historically lived in inland wetlands, floodplains, and grasslands. Severe inland droughts and human environmental degradation (like water diversion for agriculture) destroyed its natural food sources like crayfish and frogs, so to survive, the birds migrated to coastal cities like Sydney and Brisbane.
© BirdsImageStock