Published 14:33 IST, October 7th 2019
Australia: Lyrebird mimics various sounds, netizens impressed
Video of a lyrebird, endemic to Australia and known for their ability to accurately mimic the sounds from their surroundings, is making rounds on the internet.
A video of a Lyrebird, known for its ability to accurately mimic the sounds from their surroundings, is making rounds on the internet. Lyrebird is endemic to Australia and is mostly found in rainforest areas in Victoria, New South Wales, and south-east Queensland. It can be seen mimicking the sounds of other birds as well as man-made noises. The lyrebird, in the video, is sitting on a railing of the Adelaide zoo mimicking different sounds of other birds, camera shutters and car alarms.
'Gets extremely intense in the third act'
Ketan Joshi, who writes on climate and has worked in data science and innovation communications at Australia’s national science agency, shared the video on Twitter.
Ketan also asked users to donate to South Australia's zoos where this bird lives. The male bird also has a huge tail which can be seen fanning out at the end of the video. They sing throughout the year but they sing with great intensity during the breeding season.
People share their experience
People on social media shared their personal experiences and stories around Lyrebirds. “I used to hear sounds of a cat being tortured and kids laughing in our backyard, I would run outside to yell at the kids, only to see a lyrebird sitting in the tree laughing at me, it got me several times,” wrote a user. “They used to have a Lyrebird whose enclosure was near some construction at the zoo. It could do drills, jackhammers and all sorts of noises,” wrote another user referring to the Adelaide Zoo.
Hanging around a gamer's house
The video has been watched more than 200,000 times only on Twitter. While one Twitter user said that the sound was of the camera shutter noise another user thought the Lyrebird has been hanging around a gamer’s house. The lyrebird's syrinx, the vocal organ of birds, is the most complexly-muscled which gives them the extraordinary ability to mimic.
Updated 16:30 IST, October 7th 2019