Avian lockpicking

Birds are generally very clever creatures, and clever creatures are often able to develop more cleverness over time. Passing on your cleverness to the next generation, often nicknamed "culture", is something numerous avian species in the Bep world enjoy doing. Many of them are comparable to our real-world birds, but have had a lot more time to settle into the close proximity of humans. There are many traits of bird culture that are more accentuated to a Bep onlooker than to your average real-world Ben, such as variations in song, nest building habits, and even some cosmetic vanity. However, one aspect stands out as especially relevant for humans: Bep birds' tool proficiency.

The most immediate effect of clever birds in Bep society is that just about everything nice needs to be somewhat tamper-proofed lest a bird make off with it. This also applies to windows, vents, light flaps, etcetera; and of course, doors. In most of the Bep domain, opening people's front doors, especially in the early hours of the morning, is a beloved pastime of many birds. While some may do it for the sake of finding food, in most cases it appears to be done purely for the enjoyment of undoing a lock. This is one reason people don't just give up and leave their doors open; they're getting in anyway, why take away their fun? Many Bep keep a dedicated tray of bird feed just outside or inside their door, so as to reward the birds for not waltzing all the way in. This works, for the most part, varying a little by how well the local birds like you.

Locking apparatuses which birds can't (yet) pick do also exist, but it is considered rude by most people to go overboard with the countermeasures; locks at the edge of the human-avian locksmithing arms race are usually reserved for industrial areas, storages, and establishments like clinics that need to be able to guarantee a sterile environment. Besides the immediate issue of birds entering your storehouse, there is also a risk of the birds having ulterior motives or working for people. Physical security measures are thus often staffed by guards, as security lapses where a bird steals a key or memorizes someone's pin code are very common.*

''* For a while, there was a viable option in making code entry pads scramble their keys on each entry, as birds were memorizing the order of keys to press rather than the symbols of them. This has a high and rising failure rate nowadays, prompting people to switch away or come up with more convoluted ciphers as more and more birds are acquiring basic literacy & numeracy.''

One possible factor in the development of Bep avian lockpicking is actually man-made. Ikea birds are a species of blue and yellow bird with a propensity for being Very Loud, especially when there's a fire. The Bep, most of whom live in heavily forested areas, keep these around as a traditional form of smoke detector, and at some point there began a widespread habit of trying to teach the birds how to scream louder, put out fires, or open passages. While ikea birds are relatively docile and altruistic, and do not cause problems with their lockpicking skills, they do in fact interact with other birds. So, through osmosis, the art of lockpicking may have made its way out of human hands faster than if the birds were left to figure it out all on their own.