Diners at a busy restaurant in Sydney’s northwest were treated to a bit of a spectacle on the weekend when a woman stepped up to deal with a wayward bird that had made its way inside.
In footage shared on social media, the woman, named Alice, can be seen calmly approaching the ibis, which is happily perched on a table near a window.
As she gets closer, the ibis, also widely known by its “bin chicken” nickname, goes to fly away but doesn’t make it far because Alice grabs its legs.
With its wings flapping and feathers flying, she proceeds to turn the bird upside down and head towards the exit.
Unlike actual chickens, bin chickens are not immobilized by being turned upside down, but a staff member with a towel jumped in to help take the bird back outside.
Emily Calleija, who filmed the dramatic capture, told news.com.au it happened at a restaurant in Dural.
“We were having a nice ladies’ lunch to celebrate our sister-in-law’s baby shower when the ibis flew into the restaurant,” she said.
She said chaos ensued as diners tried to get the bird out.
“No one knew what to do; one lady was holding her napkin up to try and shoo the bird,” she explained. “Alice knew she could handle it and remove the bird, so that’s what she did.”
Her efforts were applauded by the restaurant, with diners cheering at the bird’s swift removal.
The owner even came over to thank Alice for her service.
“He said they are a real pain and cause a big mess, he was extremely thankful and gave her lunch and a glass of wine for free.”
Originally a floodplain and wetland bird, the ibis population took off in Sydney in the 1970s after they were brought to Taronga Zoo and encouraged to breed. They now number about 10,000.
Ibis were also brought into captivity in Victoria’s Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria and the Tidbinbilla Sanctuary in the ACT, where similar breeding success has led them to infiltrate Melbourne and Canberra.
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