According to eyewitness reports, the pair of birds were spotted on top of a pole where suddenly, sparks started to literally fly followed by two large flashes and loud bangs. When the electricians for the Australian power company arrived at the scene, they discovered the dead birds on the ground. It was suspected that the reason for the outage was due to the female bird extending her wings during the lovemaking process, in which she then touched the separated powerlines, causing the sparks and explosion.
However, thanks to built-in safety features, it triggered an automatic emergency shutdown to prevent further damage. According to Western Power spokesman Paul Entwistle, “This action caused sparks to fly between the two birds as they acted as conductors for electricity between the separated lines.”
He also added, “The two feathered fornicators were laid to rest in a private ceremony attended by Western Power staff later that evening.”