The Bird That Can Mimic a Chainsaw (And Does So Voluntarily)

The lyrebird is a large, ground-dwelling bird from Australia with a tail so elaborate it looks like it belongs on a wedding cake. It is also, pound for pound, the most impressive audio mimic on the planet. Male lyrebirds can accurately replicate the calls of over twenty other bird species — but that is just the warm-up act.

What makes the lyrebird genuinely jaw-dropping is its ability to copy human-made sounds. Researchers and wildlife photographers have recorded individual lyrebirds faithfully mimicking camera shutters, car alarms, chainsaws, construction equipment, and even the pop of a champagne cork. One famous lyrebird in an Australian zoo mastered the sound of power tools heard during nearby renovations — and then added those sounds to its mating call, because apparently that is what it thought romance sounded like.

The purpose of all this sonic showboating is courtship. Male lyrebirds perform long, elaborate vocal concerts to attract females, and a bigger, weirder repertoire signals genetic fitness. The females, to their credit, sit back and evaluate the performance with impressive discernment. They are not easily won over.

So the next time you hear something strange in an Australian forest — a ringing phone, a camera shutter, a distant power drill — there is a small but very real chance it is just a bird trying to find love.