How pandemic proved the ‘bin chicken’ doesn’t need humans for a feed

“When you see them going through bins and things, what they’re actually doing is getting a little snack. But it’s not their main source of food.”

Lockdowns across Australia in 2020 reduced human movement in many areas to levels not seen for hundreds of years.

Professor Jones said while the assumption might have been that species such as the ibis would struggle without humans around, the opposite was true.

“It’s not just ibis, but also a range of animals which we thought were dependent on human development but are really just working around it,” he said.

“There are benefits to living in the city [for animals]; there are often less predators, there are more places to nest, and all these different types of birds are taking advantage of…