Magpie filmed picking apart steak on Coles shelf

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Emily Lefroy
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It can be hard to get your hands on produce in supermarkets at the moment — for humans and birds alike.

One amused shopper caught a hungry magpie helping itself to some meat at a Coles store in Newcastle, posting a video to Tiktok of the bird's adventurous shopping trip

"Just another day," TikTok user Diane Ortega captioned the video.

A screenshot from the TikTok shows the magpie at the Coles meat section using its beak to rip open packaging.
An amused shopper captured the magpie opening the plastic container. TikTok/ dee.ortegam

Shoppers laugh at opportunistic Magpie

The video showed the bird using its beak to pierce the plastic wrapping before freeing a piece of red meat. It then cuts to the bird proudly sitting on top of a ledge above the meat section.

A close-up of the packing shows it ripped open and one piece taken out before being left next to the plastic container in the fridge.

The video has been viewed over 67,500 times with TikTokers laughing at the ambitious bird.

"I’d do the same thing if I was a Maggie. Freeee fooood," commented one TikToker.

"Make the most of the opportunity. Good for you little bird!!!!"

"So that's where the meat has been going," one user joked. "No wonder it's always empty."

"Maggie thinks he’s hit the jackpot!" wrote another. "How long has this been going on??"

In a statement to Yahoo News Australia, a Coles spokesperson said the company takes food safety seriously and staff work hard to maintain a clean environment.

"While we have a comprehensive pest management system in place, when it comes to native and endangered birds we take a cautious approach, and sometimes work with wildlife experts to safely remove them from our stores," the spokesperson said.

"We have spoken with the store and understand the magpie left the store without any intervention."

Close-up of the packing containing the meat showing it ripped open and one piece taken out. by the magpie.
The magpie snacked on some red meat from the Coles store in Newcastle. Source: TikTok/ dee.ortegam

Wildlife spotted in Australian supermarkets

It's not the first time wildlife has been spotted in Aussie supermarkets. In April 2021, two pigeons were caught snacking on some bread in a Sydney store.

The shopper told Yahoo News Australia at the time the pair didn't seem to be "afraid of anything" and were "just chilling, eating bread".

In December, a Woolworths shopper shared a photo of some grapes with a green frog in them.

The shopper said she only saw the small, green frog, which appeared to be dead by the time they spotted it, in the bag when they had left the store and began assembling the platter.

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