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It's a common rhetorical shortcut to anthropomorphize evolution. Doing so doesn't necessarily indicate that the writer doesn't understand how evolution works. It's just cumbersome to repeat an explanation of random mutation and natural selection in every discussion of evolved trait.
Neither creatures nor evolution get to "decide" to develop a trait but, as countless evolutionary arms races show, useful traits and refinements do tend to happen in a way that evokes a sense of conscious decision making.