This wandering "teenager" is being a public nuisance in a north Queensland town, preventing people from entering shops, loitering, and demanding food. The only difference is, he's a waterbird more than one metre tall.

Key points: 'Barry' the brolga turned up in Mirani around three months ago, after fires in the region

'Barry' the brolga turned up in Mirani around three months ago, after fires in the region A waterbird expert says an abundance of food in the town could be making him aggressive

A waterbird expert says an abundance of food in the town could be making him aggressive An urban ecology expert says the best thing to do is ignore the bird, and hopefully he'll move on

'Barry', as he has been dubbed by locals, arrived in the small town of Mirani, west of Mackay, about three months ago, and he has started to wear out his welcome.

Almost every day the brolga roams up and down the main street, where he visits the local library, butcher, general store, and caravan park.

Volunteer at Mirani Lifeline, Debbie Olsen, said she was one of the first to spot the distinctive bird when he arrived.

"He came just recently after the big fires that raged around and he came alone, I noticed him come around the corner and I was so surprised to see such a bird," Ms Olsen said.



"I notice him probably twice every morning I'm here … He only stays for about 10 minutes and then he's off on the road again."

But the novelty of seeing him strut around town is wearing thin, with Barry starting to hassle locals.

"He grabbed me by the hands two mornings ago," Ms Olsen said.

Lifeline volunteer Debbie Olsen was one of the first people to spot Barry, but has become concerned for his safety. ( ABC News: Tim Shepherd )

"It didn't really hurt; I think he was hungry."

With Barry's belligerent behaviour worsening over time, community members were becoming concerned.

"I'm worried about him; what will happen in the end?" Ms Olsen said.

Experts warn caution

Waterbird expert Matt Herring said Barry was an adolescent bird, and estimated he could be as young as eight months old, and while no-one has been seriously hurt yet, others may not be as lucky.

"I'd certainly be very wary around a brolga and especially if I had kids I'd be really quite cautious," Mr Herring said.

"That beak is a powerful weapon — it's able to rip apart yabbies and pound into the ground to dig up tubers. I certainly wouldn't want to get hit with a brolga beak."

With an abundance of food available in Mirani, Mr Herring said the town's hospitality could be inadvertently driving Barry's hostility.

Despite Barry becoming a local celebrity, experts are warning people should steer clear. ( ABC News: Tim Shepherd )

"This is one of the downsides of getting too close to wildlife, especially when food and water is involved, because they can become aggressive and put people at risk," Mr Herring said.

"The most important food for brolgas in the wild are tubers from sedges and other water plants.

"I think any processed food like biscuits or dog food is probably going to do him more harm than good."

'Standard teenage' behaviour

Urban ecology expert from Griffith University, Darryl Jones, said the brolga's behaviour was unusual, but not surprising.

"It sounds like he's lost his natural and sensible fear of humans; that tends to happen with young birds," Professor Jones said.

"He'll have left home, he might have been unceremoniously shown the door by Dad, who said it's time to go off and make your living in the big world.

"That's all he'll be doing, just wandering around as a newly free, teenage brolga, with his black t-shirt listening to heavy metal music, and hanging out in the mall.

"But he will get himself into trouble if he's not careful."

Also residents and experts were concerned the rebellious waterbird may lack the street smarts to survive the hustle and bustle of a country town.

Residents are concerned that Barry's roaming habits may get him into trouble. ( ABC News: Tim Shepherd )

"The biggest risk of all is … someone going too fast down the road and he just walks in front of them because he just doesn't understand the traffic," Professor Jones said.

He said the best advice was to stop feeding the bird and give him the cold shoulder.

"There's no way someone should try and approach him and try and shoo him away — that would be asking for trouble," Professor Jones said.

"Make sure he isn't stealing food; he might be stealing rubbish from a bin or dog food or something."

Barry should eventually get the message, and fly the coop.

"[Without food] he'll just move on, that'd be the normal thing."