In Australia, we’re off to the home of the Superb Lyrebird — one of the most amazing vocalists and mimics on our planet.
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| Photo by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos CC BY-NC |
Anastasia Dalziell, from the ANU’s Research School of Biology, says the skill does not come naturally, but is the result of years of practice.
“The young [lyrebirds] are incredibly vocal but don’t mimic at all,”
she says. It was possible to “get an idea of what they are doing about
the age of five”, but it was not until they were adults – around age
seven – that they had perfected the skill.
One of the most famous clips of David Attenborough is this one covering the Lyrebird:
Here’s another short clip to give some idea of the sounds this remarkable bird can reproduce:
For more on the the amazing Lyrebird and the research by Anastasia Dalziell, see the excellent article on ABC: Lyrebirds prove they’re masters of karaoke
Now we’re off to the Blue Mountains near Sydney Australia. In a few days we join the Amsterdam on a segment of the Grand World cruise from Sydney to Singapore, via Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.