Kiran Chug writes in the Dominion Post about northern hemisphere bird species which have, according to scientists, picked up something of a local accent since arriving in New Zealand.
More particularly, some of the introduced birds are actually mimicking the calls of native birds.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“Non-native birds were now sounding more like kiwi and hihi (stitchbirds) than their northern European counterparts.
“Mr Azar said the sounds the introduced birds were making were very different from those made before they started “copying” those around them.
“The research had also shown that tui around Wellington had changed their song from the distinctive call that city dwellers have complained in previous years was too noisy. “They’ve moved from that really discordant or jarring sound,” Dr Bell said. He was unsure why.”