This Is What A Baby Bin Chicken Looks Like, And Heads Up It’s Ridiculously Cute

Yeah, okay, the Australian White Ibis is a polarising bird. Some people (me) love and adore the majestic creatures, while other people (my enemies) slander them without end.

At last, though, I believe there’s something about Threskiornis molucca we can all agree on, and that’s that their babies are extraordinarily cute. Viewing an image of this small nugget of pure unsullied fluff warms the cockles of my heart like few other things, and today I want to share that feeling of love and support with you.

Behold, a youthful bin chicken:

Baby #BinChicken #BigWhiteBird survey: any nesting Australian white ibis?
Yes, their chicks are cute little fluff balls when they hatch pic.twitter.com/T4nSeHPw1N

— John Martin (@Wingtags) October 25, 2017

You may note that in addition to looking adorable, the young ibis also squeaks while headbanging like a tiny avian punk rocker. What a bird.

Baby ibis are actually pretty hard to come by these days, partly because they grow up so damn fast. This little guy in the pic below is just a few weeks old, but looks almost all grown up (almost — you can pick a teen ibis by its feathery head, whereas the adults are bald).

The other reason baby ibis are hard to come by these days is that wetland breeding territory has been seriously diminished over the years, and many ibis now live in relatively inhospitable cities. The reason we have these cute pics at all is due to conservationists like John Martin, who keep a watchful eye on ibis big and small.

That’s something you can help with, whether you like ibis or not. Right now, we’re in the middle of the annual National Australian White Ibis Community Survey. If you see a bin chicken or five (young, old, adolescent — any ibis will do) between now and October 29th, you should head on over to this link and report it.

Then you can feel content knowing you’ve done your bit for the noble white ibis, Australia’s best bird.

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Images courtesy of John Martin