Cockatoos tear cubbie to woodchips 'in days'

Residents of Healesville, a small community north-east of Melbourne, are on a mission to save their town from destruction-by-cocky.

In the last six months, the town’s residents have seen an unprecedented number of cockatoos eating away at their properties.

In one instance, a large wooden cubby house was turned into wood-chips in just two days by the native birds.

Amanda, who purchased the cubby house for her three young children, told A Current Affair’s Martin King that it’s been difficult for the young family to deal with the damage to their property.

“It’s pretty upsetting, you don’t expect to come home and find your house ripped apart by birds, the damage has been devastating," she said.

Despite trying several methods to deter the birds, Amanda says they haven’t had much luck putting a stop to the destruction.

“We hung kites, toy owls, CDs, spikes, lots of different things; it would deter them a little and then they'd come back," she said.

Unfortunately for Amanda and her neighbours, damage by birds is not covered by insurance, despite comprehensive insurance policies.

“It’s pretty appalling, I feel like there should be some sort of assistance,” Amanda said.

“We’ve spent thousands of dollars on bird deterrents and there’s no one who can help us."