The Bird That Sounds Like a Chainsaw
In Australian forests, a bird imitates other birds, camera shutters and even chainsaws so well that listeners are fooled.
What was reported
The superb lyrebird of south-eastern Australia is one of the world's greatest mimics. In winter, males display their spectacular lyre-shaped tails and sing long medleys copying dozens of other birds, and sometimes sounds they've picked up from people.
Recordings and footage, famously in David Attenborough's programmes, show lyrebirds imitating camera shutters, car alarms and chainsaws. Some say flute tunes taught to a pet lyrebird in the 1930s were passed down through wild birds.
Explanations offered
Mimicry is part of courtship: females favour males with rich, accurate repertoires. Birds near people pick up man-made sounds more often than those in deep forest. The 'flute song' story is still debated.
- When
- Recorded since the 1930s
- Where
- Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, Australia
- Witnesses
- Bushwalkers and naturalists
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.