Ivor is a superb lyrebird today. He lives in Australia and looks unassuming - like a brown pheasant - except for his elaborate tail. As an adult male, Ivor has curled feathers (roughly S-shaped, like the holes on a violin). Some scientists studying lyrebirds who had not seen a live lyrebird before used to believe that the tail, when displayed, would look like a lyre. However, that is not true.
Ivor's most appealing feature today is his talent for vocal mimicry. The great majority of lyrebird songs - about 80% - are actually impressions of other sounds they have heard. This may include the songs of other birds, but also more "modern" sounds like the click of a camera or the buzz of a chainsaw. You can hear one of Ivor's cousins demonstrating his repertoire in this video on YouTube.
What will Ivor mimic today? The clacking of keyboards? The chatter of a screen reader? Maybe even the voices of his friends? It's really anyone's guess. Today may be confusing. We may be fooled into thinking that a car alarm is going off right in the hallway, that Karla is down the hall saying "hi" to someone, or that John is typing in his office when in fact he's out to lunch.
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Ivor in the office
Updated Monday-Friday
Ivor
Ivor in the office
3 comments:
This is Karla again. I *love* the video! The chain saw imitation is uncanny, and quite disturbing. How did you find that, Sam?
A friend sent the video to me!
My cousin had a Gray Parakeet that imitated her laughter and her husband's voice. It would call to her in his voice sometimes when he wasn't there. She said it was incredibly eerie.
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