Unique, Lyrebird Birds Can Imitate Human Baby Crying Sounds
The cry coming from the enclosure of Tarango Zoo Sydney in Australia may sound like the sound of a human baby crying. Don't be fooled, it's just a long-tailed brown bird by the name of Echo that has somehow learned to imitate the screams and screeches of human babies.
Reporting from Live Science, Sunday (12/9/2021), Sydney's Tarango Zoo posted an impressive video of the bird on Twitter on 30 August.
"You're not hearing something, our Echo lyrebird has an amazing ability to imitate a variety of sounds including a baby's cry," tweeted the Tarango Zoo.
The Echo is an extraordinary lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae), according to Britannica. The Australian bird is named after the shape of its tail which resembles a lyre during courtship. The tail looks like a musical instrument known as a lute, a U-shaped stringed instrument popular in ancient Greece.
According to the Australian Museum, lyrebirds are experts in imitation, they can follow almost any sound in their surroundings, including those from chainsaws and car engines, as well as animal sounds, such as dog barking and bird calls.
Lyrebird at Tarango Zoo Sydney
Leanne Glebiowski, superintendent of the bird unit at Taronga Zoo Sydney, told The Guardian that seven-year-old Echo can mimic the sound of electric drills, fire alarms and zoo "evacuate now" announcements.
About a year ago, Echo started practicing the sound of a baby's cry. But it's unclear how he perfected the sound, as the zoo is closed to visitors due to COVID-19 and the lockdown in Sydney.
Leanne Glebioswki said “"it's clear she's been practicing her craft since the lockdown, but this worries me, because I think the zoo is a great place for families to visit!".
According to the National Audubon Society, male lyrebirds use their imitation skills primarily for recognition. Male birds can be heard singing up to 4 hours a day when the breeding season is from June to August.
Lyrebird Can Imitate Various Sounds
The lyrebirds' songs consist of a conglomeration of different bird calls from their environment. But sometimes, their mating song is to combine other sounds that are not birds.
Renowned naturalist David Attenborough, in the 1998 series “The Life of Birds”, featured a lyrebird imitating camera sounds, car alarms and foresters using a chain saw.
The talent sensasi bermain togel online that lyrebirds possess is so impressive that they become gifted con artists. Recently, research published February 25 in the journal Current Biology by Cornell University found that the remarkable lyrebird can mimic the sounds of not only other birds but also groups of birds that flock together as if in danger from a nearby predator.
"The extraordinary male lyrebird creates an extraordinary acoustic illusion," said lead author Anastasia Dalziel.
According to research, male lyrebirds only do this during mating or when the female decides to court.
The illusion is created that there is danger elsewhere and the female should stay with him. According to The Guardian, female lyrebirds also have the ability to imitate sounds, but they may do so for other reasons, such as defense.