Lyre Bird

This is the best thing I’ve seen on Youtube in ages. It’s a clip hosted by Bill Oddie , who I only know as one of the Goodies (and as a punchline on the Alan Partridge Show) but apparently he’s also a respected ornithologist. It features the Australian Lyre bird, which can mimic not only the sounds of other bird calls, but also any other sounds from their environment. The clip ends with the bird brilliantly reproducing the sound of a chainsaw. His habitat is being logged and so, in a way, he is producing the sound of his own demise, or at least displacement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuFyqzerHS8