Lyrebird mimicking sounds - GIF

**Altair** · May 22, 2020, 04:42 PM

Native to Australia, lyrebirds are best known for their ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds.

Previously:

Bird works door motion detector - GIF
Bird makes tool to get food pellet GIF
Bird moves brick off of garbage can and opens lid - GIF
Bird opens beer bottle - GIF
Bird baiting fish with bread crumbs - GIF

**jdurand** · May 22, 2020, 06:20 PM

we just have mocking birds doing car alarms and when cell phones just had ringers they did those too

**DIYSwede** · May 23, 2020, 03:26 PM

Just gotta share this - Another bird, more on-topic here at HMT:

**jdurand** · May 23, 2020, 06:41 PM

how does it know which sound is a potential mate and which is a jackhammer?

**DIYSwede** · May 24, 2020, 05:06 AM

Dunno if "knowing" is part of the whole bit, it could perhaps only be an evolutionary thing:
-The more dazzling, astonishing sounds the male does - the more intuitively attractive he becomes to the females?

We don't have these up here at 60 deg N, merely blackbirds, starlings and nightingales. Still lovely jazz musicians.
Besides - many birds doesn't seem to have perfect pitch - many times I've fruitlessly tried to whistle replies to birdcalls,
but they still come at me wide open - trying to chase the "intruder" out of their turf.