A video of a hotel room in Australia that appeared to have been ransacked by birds has gone viral on TikTok.
The scene was captured in a clip posted a day ago by Australian TikTok user @elliemay16x, who was staying at the Reef View Hotel on Hamilton Island, according to a later post. A message overlaid on the clip reads: “Don’t leave your doors open in Hamilton because the cockatoos will get in and eat your food.”
But the cockatoos did more than just snack on some food, according to the footage. The clip also shows clothes and other items scattered everywhere, with bird poop splattered on the bed. A caption shared with the post reads: “the cockatoos here really don’t gaf [give a f***] about anyone.”
A woman with her hands on her head in shock, while looking at a messy hotel room. A video of a hotel room in Australia that was allegedly trashed by cockatoos has gone viral on TikTok. iStock / Getty Images Plus
Australia is home to 14 species of cockatoos. They come from “a family of large, long-lived and very noisy parrots with moveable crests,” says The Nature Conservancy of Australia, a nonprofit.
While it’s unknown exactly which species trashed the hotel room in the latest viral clip, the most common and widespread cockatoo in Australia is the galah. The bird can be identified by its distinctive pink and gray plumage (the layer of feathers that cover a bird). Galahs “form huge, noisy flocks that roost together at night,” the nonprofit explains.
“The humorous antics of these iconic Australian cockatoos led to their name being applied to anyone acting the fool. Galahs do indeed sometimes seem to be just having fun, like taking turns to slide down cables and wires,” according to the nonprofit.
Cockatoos are also known for “the socially-learnt behavior of opening and raiding of household bins,” says a September 2022 study of sulfur-crested cockatoos, published in Current Biology.
Cockatoos sit on a balcony overlooking a beach coast. The most common and widespread cockatoo in Australia is the galah. iStock / Getty Images Plus
A voice in the latest viral video is heard saying: “They told us don’t leave your hotel doors open…and guess what we did? We left the f****** doors open…”
Asked why they left the doors open, in a later comment, the original poster said: “Was feeling a bit adventurous.”
The voice in the video adds: “Our beds and everything we own is f*****…where are my bikini bottoms guys?… is this a joke?” The footage shows what appears to be one-half of a bikini and deflated beach ball on the floor of the hotel room balcony. In a later video, the woman spots a bikini bottom on a rooftop opposite the hotel room.
In further comments, the poster said the birds also raided their suitcases, “as we had food in there.”
“They took the party mix, the Pringles [a potato chip snack], all that s***… so we’re gonna get charged for that,” the woman said in the later video.
The hotel guest said: “I appreciate the staff so much because it’s our fault. We left the door open. We’re stupid enough to do that…”
The woman explained that she was sent a “wildlife” warning via email every day, according to footage showing an inbox with emails titled “wildlife” that were received on July 17 and 18.
The latest footage has left TikTok users in stitches, with Jaymee mccormack writing: “This is the funniest thing I’ve seen all day.”
Marafada asked: “how can a bird do that much damage? how gangster are birds becoming? At first I thought you were robbed.”
Samantha Jayne posted: “It’s happened before and it’ll happen again, everyone calm down, the birds are proper menaces on Hamilton hahaha.” The original poster replied: “Staff said it happens everyday, not saying it’s not our fault but it’s a common mistake.”
Paula Leanne wrote: “ahahahaha sometimes you have to learn the hard way.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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