A Lyrebird is either of two species of ground-dwelling Australian birds, most notable for their superb ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment. Lyrebirds have unique plumes of neutral coloured tailfeathers.
Lyrebirds are among Australia's best-known native birds. As well as their extraordinary mimicking ability, lyrebirds are notable because of the striking beauty of the male bird's huge tail when it is fanned out in display; and also because of their courtship display. A group of Lyrebirds is called a musket.
There are two species of lyrebird:
- Superb Lyrebird or Weringerong (Menura novaehollandiae) is found in areas of rainforest in Victoria, New South Wales and south-east Queensland, as well as in Tasmania where it was introduced in the 19th century. Females are 74--84 cm long, and the males are a larger 80--98 cm long — making them the third-largest passerine bird after the Thick-billed Raven and the Common Raven. Many Superb Lyrebirds live in the Dandenong Ranges National Park and Kinglake National Park around Melbourne, the Royal National Park and Illawarra region south of Sydney and in many other parks along the east coast of Australia as well as non protected bushland.
- Albert's Lyrebird (Menura alberti) is slightly smaller at a maximum of 90 cm (male) and 84 cm (female) (around 30-35 inches) and is only found in a very small area of Southern Queensland rainforest. They have smaller, less spectacular lyrate feathers than the Superb Lyrebird, but are otherwise similar. Albert's Lyrebird was named in honour of Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria.
Mimicry:
A lyrebird's call is a rich mixture of its own song and any number of other sounds it has heard. The lyrebird's syrinx is the most complexly-muscled of the Passerines (songbirds), giving the lyrebird extraordinary ability, unmatched in vocal repertoire and mimicry. Lyrebirds render with great fidelity the individual songs of other birds and the chatter of flocks of birds, and also mimic other animals, human noises, machinery of all kinds, explosions, and musical instruments. The lyrebird is capable of imitating almost any sound — from a mill whistle to a cross-cut saw, and, not uncommonly, sounds as diverse as chainsaws, car engines and car alarms, fire alarms, rifle-shots, camera shutters, dogs barking, crying babies, and even the human voice. Lyrebirds are shy birds and a constant stream of bird calls coming from one place is often the only way of identifying them and their presence. The female lyrebird is also an excellent mimic, but she is not heard as often as the male lyrebird.
One researcher, Sydney Curtis, has recorded flute-like lyrebird calls in the vicinity of the New England National Park. Similarly, in 1969, a park ranger, Neville Fenton, recorded a lyrebird song which resembled flute sounds in the New England National Park, near Dorrigo in northern coastal New South Wales. After much detective work by Fenton, it was discovered that in the 1930s, a flute player living on a farm adjoining the park used to play tunes near his pet lyrebird. The lyrebird adopted the tunes into his repertoire, and retained them after release into the park. Neville Fenton forwarded a tape of his recording to Norman Robinson. Because a lyrebird is able to carry two tunes at the same time, Robinson filtered out one of the tunes and put it on the phonograph for the purposes of analysis. The song represents a modified version of two popular tunes in the 1930s: "The Keel Row" and "Mosquito's Dance". Musicologist David Rothenberg has endorsed this information.
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Lyrebird Lyre Bird Ground-Dwelling Australian Birds Mimic Sounds Natural Artificial Mimicking Musket Superb Weringerong Menura Novaehollandiae Rainforest Queensland Tasmania Passerine Thick-billed Raven Common Raven Dandenong Ranges Melbourne Sydney Non Protected Bushland Albert's Menura Alberti Lyrate Feathers Prince Albert Queen Victoria Mimicry Mill Whistle Coss-Cut Saw Chainsaws Car Engines Alarms Fire Rifle-Shots Camera Shutters Dogs Barking Crying Babies Human Voice Seinfeld Australia Chook Dies
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1:20
This Bird can copy the sound of everybody including Human - LyreBirdby arslion2277,992 views
i think.....i think my amazing imitation voice just died....
CherryTwistXD 3 days ago
i like the producer. when the line 'while it blows some minds' comes on, hes like quick! cue the boar!
jtoregan 1 month ago
she needs to knock it off with all the stupid puns. lol.
reticentjester 1 month ago
R.I.P. Chook ...
Chippy2611 1 month ago
VS MICHEAL WINSLOW!
DJHeroMist 2 months ago
0:55 "While it blows SOME minds..."
That warthog's mind is surely blown.
ZachKing88 2 months ago
im going to get one and teach it how to say "I am cornholio, i need tp for my bunghole"
BallerDan315 2 months ago
Pretty sure this bird is the first thing that greets you when arrive in hell.
TimeLapseSteve 3 months ago
1:24 sounds like the spitting dinosaur from Jurassic park!
cbainbridge 3 months ago
holy shit
waterbuggg 4 months ago