There are two species of lyrebird: Superb Lyrebird and Albert’s Lyrebird. These are birds that live on the ground and are found in Australia. They were considered ‘Not Threatened’, but that changed to ‘Near Threatened’ after the fires a few years back. They have yet to fully recover. Invasive species such as the red fox is another problem.
Lyrebirds are known for their plain appearance, but also having long tailfeathers that curl into an ‘S’. They tend to be solitary and live in dense forests where it is easier to hide from birds of prey. Their biggest skill, which is what they are famous for, is that they are incredible vocal mimics. Lyrebirds can imitate other animals and even manmade creations like chainsaws and jackhammers. They are even known to carry two tunes at once.
Here are some facts:
- Males attract mates with a song that is created from pieces of at least 20 other bird songs.
- They will imitate birds of prey in order to scare off other predators.
- There are approximately 3,500 Albert’s Lyrebirds and 10,000 Superb Lyrebirds.
- It has the most complex syrinx of any songbird, which is why it is considered nature’s greatest mimic.
- Their wings are very weak, which is why they run and use the wings to help them leap.
- Females lay only one egg at a time.
- Lyrebirds cannot imitate the human voice, but can imitate our sounds like whistling.
- They get their name from the ‘S’ shape of their tail feathers.
So, what do they look and sound like?
Albert Lyrebird
Albert Lyrebird
Superb Lyrebird
Superb Lyrebird
Legends of Windemere 
Amazing mimics – and I’ve never heard of them before!
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I think I heard about them when I was a kid, but I’m not sure. Definitely remember something about a bird that imitates a chainsaw at some point.
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How neat! And here I thought that the idea of a Mockingjay was a fantastic one!
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These guys might have that bird beat.
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Wouldn’t that make a good familiar for a wizard? The different noises could be such a distraction if you’re trying to escape from somewhere, too.
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That would be fun. At least until the lyrebird ends up casting a level 9 fireball by accident. 😀
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What an interesting bird. The chainsaw and camera with motor drive were amazing.
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Imagine hearing those in a forest. Not sure if it would be cool or scary.
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If the bird ever heard a creaking door it would be scary.
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Wouldn’t be surprised if some can do that.
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That’s pretty cool. Thanks for sharing these.
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You’re welcome.
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An amazing bird. I had no idea they were such great mimics, though.
While they have the gold medal for the number of sounds. I would still give the golf for beauty of song to the blackbird. Of course, I’ve not heard every bird in the world. There may be some better than the blackbird.
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Not sure if I’ve heard the blackbird song.
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Probably not as it’s a European bird.
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This is a fascinating bird, John. The long tail feather is absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for a great post!
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Glad you enjoyed it.
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🙂
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