The Superb Lyrebird
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 alarms, rifle-shots, camera shutters, dogs barking and crying babies.
