Lyrebirds mimic sounds of predators to coerce females into sex: research

Andrew Brown
February 26 2021 - 4:00am
New research has revealed male lyrebirds mimic the sounds of predators to coerce the female of the species into sex. Picture: Alex Maisey
New research has revealed male lyrebirds mimic the sounds of predators to coerce the female of the species into sex. Picture: Alex Maisey

They've been known to imitate the sounds of kookaburras, cockatoos, even human sounds like car alarms and chainsaws.

Andrew Brown

Andrew Brown

Journalist

I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.