A magpie has been caught on camera mimicking the sound of a siren after hearing “so many fire trucks” as wildfires continue to grip Australia 's east coast.

Gregory Andrews filmed the black and white bird’s novel trick in Newcastle, New South Wales , on Boxing Day.

He shared the footage on Facebook, commenting: “This is one of the coolest things ever.

“Today I met an Australian magpie in Newcastle NSW which had learned to sing the calls of fire-engines and ambulances.”

Copacabana Rural Fire Brigade said the bird appeared to have picked up the sound because “there have been so many emergency vehicles driving through bushfire-affected towns of New South Wales”.

The main street of the New South Wales town of Bombala is pictured shrouded in smoke from nearby bushfires

Property under threat from the East Gippsland fires in Sarsfield

Two bushfires approach a home located on the outskirts of the town of Bargo

A firefighter sprays foam retardant on a back burn ahead of a fire front in the New South Wales town of Jerrawangala

Amy, left, and Ben Spencer sit at the showgrounds in the southern New South Wales town of Bega where they are camping after being evacuated from nearby sites affected by bushfires

Fire and Rescue personal run to move their truck as a bushfire burns next to a major road and homes on the outskirts of the town of Bilpin

A house and van are seen destroyed after bushfires ravaged the town of Bilpin, west of Sydney

Fire clouds are formed over the mountains' range near Bredbo, New South Wale, Australia December December 31, 2019. Picture taken December 31, 2019. LIFES.A.BREEZE via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. LIFES.A.BREEZE

Smoke billowing from a fire burning at East Gippsland, Victoria. More than 800,000 hectares have been burnt in East Gippsland

Firefighters hose down trees as they battle against bushfires around the town of Nowra

"Carmelised" snow caused by dust from Australian bushfires is seen near Franz Josef glacier in the Westland Tai Poutini National Park, New Zealand

Think smoke from bushfires fills the air in eastern Gippsland

Business owners stand in front of their shop which was destroyed by a bushfire in Cobargo

Firefighters try to protect homes around Charmhaven, New South Wales

The remains of burnt out buildings along a main street in the New South Wales town of Cobargo

The sky glows red as bushfires continue to rage in Mallacoota, Victoria

Burning embers cover the ground as firefighters battle against bushfires around the town of Nowra

A satellite image of the Batemans Bay showing smoke and fire from wild bushfires

Children play at the showgrounds in the southern New South Wales town of Bega where they are camping after being evacuated from nearby sites affected by bushfires

A firefighting helicopter dumps water on a bushfire on the outskirts of the town of Bargo near Sydney

Firefighters work to tackle a blaze on the outskirts of Sydney on 31 December 2019

The sky is turned red over East Gippsland as fires continue to rage through Australian bushland on 4 January

Firefighters tackle a blaze as it tears through a farm in New South Wales on 21 December

Boats are pulled ashore as smoke and wildfires rage behind Lake Conjola on 2 January

Residents look on as flames tear through bushland in Lake Tabouriee, Australia on 4 January on 4 January

Smoke billows from a huge bushfire that has torched over 200,000 acres of land in East Gipplsand, Victoria on 2 January

A firefighter hosing down trees and flying embers in an effort to secure nearby houses from bushfires near the town of Nowra in the state of New South Wales on 31 December 2019

Alexander Verbeek, from the Institute for Planetary Security, in Stockholm, suggested the video illustrated the effects of man-made climate change.

He posted on Twitter: “My first tweet in the third decade of the third millennium illustrates best the sad state of our plane.

“An Australian magpie has been hearing so many fire trucks that he has started to copy the sirens. Yes, our house is on fire!”

On Thursday thousands of tourists fled Australia’s eastern coast as worsening conditions, fuelled by high temperatures and strong winds, are predicted over the weekend.

In New South Wales, 381 homes have been destroyed just this week and 18 people have died since the fires began burning in September.