A mum has revealed the 'scariest thing' about living in Australia – and it has nothing to do with creepy crawlies, sharks or crocodiles.
Daegen Coyne, who moved to Australia from the US, says they are 'the birds to fear' Down Under.
Posting on TikTok, the mother shows her ongoing feud with a neighboring curlew.
“Everyone is afraid of Australian sharks and spiders,” she wrote on the video that showed the bird chasing her across the street.
“It's the birds you should be afraid of.”
Daegen Coyne, who moved to Australia from the US, says they are 'the birds to fear' Down Under
You can hear the mother in the background begging the little gray and white bird to 'go away' as she crosses the road and runs up the stairs of her house.
The bird kept pace with the mother, which seemed to frighten her even more.
In the second part of the video, the bird growled like a big cat and spread its wings to appear bigger as it looked at the mother and her daughter.
“Get in the car,” she urged her daughter.
The video has been viewed 13 million times and received more than a million likes and comments.
Australians fight for their lives every day. I just saw a lady being chased by some plovers,” one woman said.
'If they're not curlews, they're plovers or magpies. They are trying to kill us all,” said another.
The woman says she can hardly leave the house because of the curlew across the street
The mother said people living in Australia deserve medals for their dealings with the 'evil' birds.
She also explained that the bird makes strange noises that were not captured in the video. Sometimes it sounds like a child screaming and sometimes it sounds like a dinosaur.'
“There must be a nest next to us because we can't leave the house safely,” she said.
The birds are known for their grumpy temperament – even Australian animal lover Robert Irwin has had run-ins with the birds.
He did a series with one in particular, pointing out her aggressive tendencies and low growls.