Twitchers around the world are beginning to realise that the A4 is fantastic at emulating realistic bird calls. It can do almost any bird. The A4 sounds can be utilised in the field to study the mating habits of some of the most rare and sometimes endangered species. Unfortunately, illegal poachers and ‘budgie smugglers’ have also adopted the same technique to attract and entrap our feathered friends for sale on the black market. In fact the A4 is leading to a decline in birdlife the world over, in Japan for example, since the release of the A4, almost all bird species’ numbers are in steady decline. The synthesised bird song generated by the A4 can be heard on loudspeakers throughout Tokyo and is predicted to replace real birds completely by 2020. The only species of bird that cannot be imitated convincingly by the A4 is the ‘Bassoon’ (flightless bird native to India) but they are working on that one.
