Ok, a Cracked list finally had some value for showing me a lyrebird. That's cool.

I was expecting the peregrine falcon on there

This article mentions nothing about their ongoing battle with the green pigs

That lyrebird was cool. It made camera sounds, a car alarm sound, and chainsaw sounds. Wait, why would it be hearing car alarms out in the middle of the jungle?

Walker: That lyrebird was cool. It made camera sounds, a car alarm sound, and chainsaw sounds. Wait, why would it be hearing car alarms out in the middle of the jungle?

It might not be that far from a road area. Or even just car alarms from the loggers could have done it.

I'm still not entirely convinced that the lyrebird isn't real, but rather just an elaborate BBC hoax.

That lyrebird is farking awesome. I want one

I am pretty sure with that kind of talon strength, a Harpy Eagle could snap a mans forearm.

VictoryCabal: I'm still not entirely convinced that the lyrebird isn't real, but rather just an elaborate BBC hoax.

Adelaide Zoo lyrebird imitating construction work.

But yeah, my first reaction to was 'no way, I call bullshiat.'

Yikes!

Owls are the bomb.

Eyes of the night! (That is the motto of my ANG unit - I felt the need to bellow it)

Holy shiat, my only question is where can I buy a lyrebird? I'll pay fifty dollars for one!

The one without the gannet!

The one without the gannet-!!! They've ALL got the gannet!! It's a Standard British Bird, the gannet, it's in all the books!!!

Well, I don't like them...they wet their nests.

VictoryCabal: I'm still not entirely convinced that the lyrebird isn't real, but rather just an elaborate BBC hoax.

It is real, just intelligently designed.

About 2 months ago, I attended a military conference at Calloway Gardens, GA (Near Columbus/Ft Benning). A storm blew through and knocked out the power, so my "free pass to Calloway!" was kind of shiat. I drove through anyway. I hit the "Birds of Prey" exhibit hoping for whatever my free day pass would give me. The bird handler came into the lobby and gave me a one on one bird meeting since he couldn't do his show. Pretty cool and much better, more intimate, questions and answers and such, than the big show would have been, I think.

There are some who call me Tim: No african swallow?

Is carrying coconuts a super power?

I don't read Cracked lists, but I'll say hummingbirds are awesome. The girl and I were sitting outside this summer and two, presumably a couple, came investigating our tomato plants. It was awesome, had never seen one up close before, let alone two together.

Owls are pretty awesome too, but we don't have them where I live. I'm sure they are somewhere, but not here.

Bondith: nekom
Holy shiat, my only question is where can I buy a lyrebird? I'll pay fifty dollars for one!

You can get one for ten cents Australian.

Awesome! I have that!



And enough change to buy a digeriedoo.

/has an Aussie pen pal
//will definitely ask her about this bird.
///NZ money on the right but that works too right?

berylman: I am puzzled as to what survival benefit such mimicry may confer.

Making the call of a bird of prey at the right time could easily frighten competitors of another species away from a food source. But, that in itself is kind of limited.

If you watch the videos, it seems there is a lot of tail feather display going on while making sounds. It could be part of the mating ritual, in which case, sexual selection may be the answer. For some reason, at some point in their history, females preferred mimics (perhaps for the reason I just listed about securing food sources) and had more sex with better mimics. Over time, this kind of selection would easily make them the amazing mimics they are today.

Sexual selection is extremely powerful, able to select for traits that would otherwise be a survival disadvantage, such as the tails of peacocks and birds of paradise and such.

If a trait has both some survival advantage and sexual selection favoring it, it will be strongly selected for.

/however, that's just a general answer... I don't know the specifics of this bird, as this is the first time I've ever heard of them