A lyrebird at Adelaide Zoo has been amusing staff and visitors by mimicking construction sounds from work on a new enclosure ahead of the arrival of two pandas from China.
Chook the lyrebird has been imitating the sounds of construction machinery during work on the enclosure and a new zoo entrance.
Associate Professor David Paton, an ornithologist at Adelaide University, is pretty sure why it is happening.
"They're well regarded as mimics," he explained, saying a lyrebird's calls are about attracting a mate.
"We suspect the reason for this is that the greater the repertoire of noises they make, the more likely they are to attract a female," he said.
"It's all about sex so it's usually more prominent during the breeding season, which is around about now."
And why are construction sounds appealing?
"I suspect it's got more to do with how well those noises might carry," he said, as Adelaide Zoo is near the heart of the busy city.
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