California mayor wants to broadcast bird songs

LANCASTER, Calif. (AP) - It may sound like a bird-brained idea, but the mayor of a Mojave Desert city wants to brighten the streets by broadcasting recorded bird songs.

Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris proposed the idea during his State of the City talk on Monday.

The Antelope Valley Press says Parris wants to play the bird chatter from loudspeakers on Lancaster Boulevard. The mayor says there's science to show that listening to birdsong makes people happier.

Parris is known for his flamboyant ideas. He got a law passed giving the Southern California city the right to castrate pit bulls, ordered city officials to learn the Mandarin language in a bid to woo Chinese business, and riled some people by saying he was growing Lancaster into a Christian community.

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Information from: Antelope Valley Press, http://www.avpress.com

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.