The singing Shepparton starling has gone viral in the past week after his owner’s sister Sharon posted a video online of the bird clearly singing the first two versus of the Hawthorn Football Club song.
But the video, which has been picked up by news organisations across the globe, is only a small insight into the bird's powerful brain.
Bubba was found out the front of his owner Anthony Costa’s Shepparton home just over 12 months ago.
“He was only a baby and we found him one morning here in the garden, starving,” Anthony said.
“We hand-raised him and fed him through a syringe.
“We love our animals, so we were forever talking to him — you know, keeping him company.”
But having never owned a bird and knowing nothing about the starling breed, it came as a surprise, to say the least, when Bubba suddenly began talking.
“We thought it was Anthony doing it to begin with because he is just so clear,” Anthony’s partner, Lisa Lynch, said.
But Lisa could easily be forgiven, as Bubba’s voice is near identical to his much-loved dad's — making many visitors question whether it is Bubba or Anthony speaking.
One-year-old Bubba's vocabulary is wide and he can also sing Pop Goes the Weasel — and wolf whistle.
His list of sayings is growing, with Bubba constantly telling people “you’re so pretty”, “c’mon, I want crickets” and asking “what are you doing?” — to name just a few.
“He is still learning,” Anthony said.
“He says things we have taught him, but some of the things he just picks up by himself.
“You just don’t expect a wild bird to talk like that.”
Not only did Bubba surprise Anthony by being able to talk, he filled a large gap in his life too.
“At the time I really didn’t want another pet and I would never normally keep a bird as a pet,” Anthony said.
“But I lost my pet dog about eight months before and I was still hurting really badly over it.
“And now it all just seems a real coincidence he came along at the time he did.
“He’s given me a lot of comfort.”
It seems Bubba has forgotten his rough start to life, as he has become extremely spoilt.
“He won't eat bird seed anymore, he only eats fresh meal worms and crickets,” Anthony said, with a laugh.
“Every morning my mum gives him a bath and he sits in the sink splashing around — water gets everywhere.
“And he’s always in the lounge room, so when Dad is trying to watch telly he annoys him at times because he just whistles all day and is constantly talking.
“He’s a really happy bird and a big part of the family now.”
Since releasing Bubba’s talents to the online world, the video of Bubba singing the football song has been viewed and shared on social media thousands of times, with news outlets including the New York Post, Yahoo UK, the ABC and National Nine News sharing the clip.
With Hawthorn merchandise covering the family home the football fanatics are hoping the video will be noticed by and bring joy to the AFL club.
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