Okay, but is the lyrebird a liar?

E45. Lyrebirds can copy a chainsaw, a car alarm and a camera shutter, so it is easy to call them liars. Dr. Anastasia Dalziell of Western Sydney University has spent years recording them in the wild, and she explains what the famous Attenborough clip left out and some of the most surprising evolutionary reasons for mimicry. In this episode, you'll hear about: Why a female lyrebird starts sounding like an eagle when you get too close to her nest What a male does when the female he has been courting tries to walk away The other lyrebird, and the hooked rainforest vine it plays like an instrument All audio, video, and images in this episode are either original to Okay, But... Birds (© Okay Media, LLC) or used under license/permission from the respective rights holders. Media from the Macaulay Library is used courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as follows: Red-tailed Hawk audio contributed by David McCartt, ML229578 Killdeer audio contributed by Mike Andersen, ML129054 Superb Lyrebird audio contributed by Vicki Powys, ML229691 Albert's Lyrebird audio contributed by Robert C. Stein, ML309505 Gray Shrikethrush video contributed by Ramit Singal, ML641225345 Gray Shrikethrush audio contributed by Vicki Powys, ML229649 Golden Whistler video contributed by Ramit Singal, ML641948342 Golden Whistler audio contributed by Ramit Singal, ML272346391 Wedge-tailed Eagle audio contributed by Vicki Powys, ML223274 Gray Goshawk audio contributed by Ramit Singal, ML246142551 Albert's Lyrebird video contributed by Fiona Backhouse, ML615390207 Albert's Lyrebird audio contributed by Ramit Singal, ML141465291 Albert's Lyrebird video contributed by Fiona Backhouse, ML615390194 Albert's Lyrebird video contributed by Fiona Backhouse, ML615390209 Satin Bowerbird audio contributed by Newton Hobbs, ML16236 Albert's Lyrebird video contributed by Fiona Backhouse, ML615390211 Superb Lyrebird audio contributed by James (Jim) Holmes, ML463586881 Superb Lyrebird recordings (2024 films): Justin Welbergen, Jaden Thompson, Elle Heiser, Yoon Lee, Fiona Backhouse and Anastasia Dalziell, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Australia, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, USA.