lyrebirds
Tail-fanned forest mimics
Lyrebirds are large Australian songbirds famous for their extraordinary mimicry—they can reproduce virtually any sound they hear, from other bird calls to chainsaws and camera shutters.
The name comes from the male's spectacular tail feathers, which spread into a shape resembling a lyre during courtship displays.
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
- eucalyptusAromatic Australian timber tree
- undergrowthLow forest vegetation
- forest floorGround beneath trees
- leaf litterDecomposing ground debris
ferns · gullies · temperate · dense vegetation · Australia · Victoria · Queensland · New South Wales
Posterior flight plumes
- courtshipSeeking another's romantic favor
- dancingRhythmic bodily motion
- moundHeaped earth formation
- filamentsVery thin threads
fanned · shimmering · performance · breeding · silvery · ornate · vibrating · arena
Copy of the original
- chainsawsMotor-driven cutting tools
- car alarmsVehicle anti-theft noisemakers
- kookaburrasCackling Australian kingfishers
- birdsongAvian musical vocalizations
echo · replicate · soundscape · accuracy · repertoire · acoustic · deception · forest sounds
At risk of extinction
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- populationAll inhabitants combined
- protectedKept from harm
- wildlifeUndomesticated natural organisms
native · ornithology · taxonomy · passerine · songbird · ancient lineage · evolution · Attenborough
rainforest
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
- eucalyptusAromatic Australian timber tree
- undergrowthLow forest vegetation
- forest floorGround beneath trees
leaf litter · ferns · gullies · temperate · dense vegetation · Australia · Victoria · Queensland · New South Wales · mountain ash
tail feathers
Posterior flight plumes
filaments · fanned · shimmering · performance · breeding · silvery · ornate · vibrating · arena · attraction
imitation
Copy of the original
- chainsawsMotor-driven cutting tools
- car alarmsVehicle anti-theft noisemakers
- kookaburrasCackling Australian kingfishers
birdsong · echo · replicate · soundscape · accuracy · repertoire · acoustic · deception · forest sounds · territorial
endangered
At risk of extinction
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- populationAll inhabitants combined
- protectedKept from harm
wildlife · native · ornithology · taxonomy · passerine · songbird · ancient lineage · evolution · Attenborough · documentary
vocalization
Producing sounds with voice
- callsContacts by telephone
- territorialDefensive about owned space
- dawn chorusBirds' collective sunrise singing
melodic · whistles · warbles · trills · complex · learned · duets · frequency · acoustic · amplitude
- birdsrobin, crow, eagle, owl, duck
- Australian wildlifekangaroo, koala, platypus, echidna, wombat
- mimicrychameleon, cuttlefish, stick insect, leaf insect, mockingbird
- vocal mimicryparrots, mockingbirds, impressions, impersonators, ventriloquism
lyrebirdsvultures
Large carrion-eating raptors
storks · pelicans · condors · mute swans · turkey vultures