A regional council in Western Australia is embracing the much-maligned bin chicken's cousin in the hope of capturing the hearts and minds of residents and visitors.

Key points: Residents near a lake in Albany, southern WA, are concerned about growing numbers of straw-necked ibis, saying the birds are noisy, smelly and messy

Residents near a lake in Albany, southern WA, are concerned about growing numbers of straw-necked ibis, saying the birds are noisy, smelly and messy The local council is trying to change attitudes towards the ibis by urging residents to "embrace nature"

The local council is trying to change attitudes towards the ibis by urging residents to "embrace nature" There are three types of ibis in Australia: the straw-necked ibis, the glossy ibis and the Australian white ibis, dubbed the bin chicken

For years, residents near Lake Seppings, in suburban Albany, have complained about the smell, noise and mess made by growing numbers of straw-necked ibis.

Now the City of Albany hopes to change attitudes towards the bird by urging residents to "grab their camera" and "embrace nature".

City reserves manager Jacqui Freeman said it was a shame ibis were sometimes seen as a pest as they played an important role in natural wetland ecology.

"Lake Seppings is a great example of a functional wetland and ecosystem in an urban setting, which provides unique experiences like this where nature can be observed at its best," she said.

"Unfortunately this is not felt by all as with the increase in bird numbers also comes some additional noise, smells and large flocks flying overhead."

Residents say ibis numbers have increased at Lake Seppings. ( ABC Great Southern: Tom Edwards )

A misunderstood Australian native bird

There are actually three types of ibis found in Australia and all are protected by law under the Wildlife Act.

The Australian white ibis is the most widely known and is often labelled bin chicken due to its habit of raiding bins for scraps.

The glossy ibis is dark in colour and prefers to feed in shallow wetlands rather than rubbish tips.

The straw-necked ibis is black and white in appearance and it is this one which the City of Albany is attempting to promote as a natural attraction.

Ms Freeman said the ibis's reputation as a bin chicken came from the eastern states.

"A lot of areas over in Queensland, all those areas around cafes and that, the bin chicken are like seagulls," she said.

"They actually walk around, they get on the bins, they take food off the tables.

"That's where it's come from because they're regularly seen on top of bins, taking food out.

"But we don't have that happening here. Yes, they're at the tip and they're also in natural areas, but we don't tend to have them within the CBD around people and around the cafes."

The City of Albany is trying to change attitudes towards the ibis. ( ABC Great Southern: Tom Edwards )

An unpleasant neighbour for some

Lake Seppings is the only known breeding site for straw-necked ibis in WA's Great Southern region, with increasing numbers of the birds nesting among the surrounding vegetation.

Nearby resident Jenny Robertson said the ibis were having a detrimental effect on the wetland.

"I remember when there were only a hundred or so ibis that used to roost in the trees, but now they nest all over the lake, they're filling in the lake," she said.

Ms Robertson said the ibis were often noisy and on less windy days they produced an unpleasant smell.

"I'm a gardener so I don't mind the smell of manure that much, but when it's wafting on the air all the time it is a bit interesting," she said.

And the excrement from ibis passing overhead presented another unsavoury problem, Ms Robertson said.

"They squirt it sometimes as they go past … I boil my water that I use from the rainwater tank because I just have this fear of drinking ibis poo," she said.

Jenny Robertson is concerned about the growing numbers of ibis at Lake Seppings. ( ABC Great Southern: Tom Edwards )

Keeping an eye on ibis

While ibis don't feed from bins in Albany, Mrs Robertson said she was concerned this might eventually happen if their numbers weren't curbed.

She also said she hadn't seen as many swans or pelicans at the lake since the ibis had become more prevalent.

The City of Albany has been monitoring ibis numbers and water quality over the past few years.

Ms Freeman said they had observed the ibis were now only returning to breed in the area.

"Once they've bred they are dispersing, reducing the numbers back down for the majority of the year, although we've noticed this fluctuates depending on the weather patterns," she said.

"When the birds are breeding there is some impact to the vegetation so to reduce the pressure on small sections of the lake, we've been revegetating along the lake's edge over a number of years with around 40,000 seedlings being planted in the past year."