3 days ago
Locals spot 'fantastic' detail as Aussies share photos of bizarre traffic light trend
As Australia's population grows, so too does the demand for essential infrastructure like roads. But this expansion often comes at the expense of natural habitats, raising concern among environmentalists.
Much of our development has taken over land that was home to native wildlife for centuries, but every now and then, nature finds a way to adapt.
In Newcastle this week, residents were delighted to see a couple of native birds making themselves at home in quite an unlikely spot — the pair of corellas were perched contentedly inside traffic lights.
"Corellas are turning Newcastle East into some sort of red light district with their amorous goings on," a local joked online.
What started as a single post quickly attracted an onslaught of replies, with other east coast residents sharing their photos of similar scenes they'd captured. From NSW to Queensland, the quirky occurrence appears to be relatively common.
"There must be something extra good about the red lights," one person commented. "Nice and warm in there," said another. "They have been doing that for months now," wrote a third. Others suggested the birds simply evolved due to a lack of "hollow trees". "We need to make homes for them and hang them around the city," a woman suggested.
In reality, there's a simple reason red lights might be so appealing to these birds — it is for warmth. The LED globes inside traffic signals generate heat, making them cosy nesting spots during cooler months. Combined with the enclosed casing and elevation off the ground, they provide a safe, weatherproof hideaway that mimics the natural tree hollows many birds are struggling to find in today's urban environments.
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It's not the first time corellas, a type of cockatoo, have been spotted in their cosy makeshift cocoons, with red lights in particular the most attractive to the little birds. Back in 2023, another pair of corellas got the internet talking after they were photographed nesting in a set of traffic lights in Manly, Sydney.
Peta Bulling from the Australian Conservation Foundation said it's "truly incredible" that bird species can adapt so well to urban areas.
"[Another] great example of that is that is the gang-gang cockatoo. It's endangered… but you wouldn't necessarily realise if you were walking around the suburbs of Canberra because you see them relatively often and have a distinct call,' she had earlier said.
"But these cockatoos really like the same sort of habitat we do. They like mature trees, and they're not disturbed by humans as much as some other animals."
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