My Little Ibis? · 6:23pm Aug 3rd, 2018
I heard about this a couple of days ago, and fell about laughing. But after a little research...
Screen Australia has funded the development of an animated series about ibises in Sydney's tourist heart at Darling Harbour.
Called Bin Chickens, it follows three birds interacting with the daily parade of "imbecile humans and their ludicrous civilisation", including their laws, social mores and "horrific taste in architecture".
Depending on how you look at it, the ibis is either a scourge on Australian cities, or a triumph of animal adaptation. Where other native species are battling for survival, the ibis thrives. Ugly, ungainly, and living on our refuse, the “bin chicken” nickname is one many see as apt. Now they are about to star in a cartoon.
Andronicos and Carter are hoping Bin Chickens brings more respect to a bird that has gradually been forced from inland marshes to coastal urban centres - responding to increased agricultural water extraction, drought and habitat loss - since the 1970s.
"The ibis has found an alternative habitat basically in the middle of the city and bin juice is their new estuary fishing ground," Andronicos says.
Australians love an underdog. A lot of our national identity is tied into the “little Aussie battler” self image. Could Bin Chickens be the next manifestation of this?
For those unfamiliar with the Australian White Ibis, this video sums it up pretty well:
Honk
That’s great!