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Wild Australian magpies, lyrebirds and bowerbirds that interact with humans but remain free can still mimic human speech. [6] Songbirds and parrots are the two groups of birds able to learn and mimic human speech. [5] [7] Both belong to the clade Psittacopasseres. If then introduced to wild birds, the wild birds may also mimic the new sounds.
A lyrebird is either of two species of ground-dwelling Australian birds that compose the genus Menura, and the family Menuridae. [2] They are most notable for their impressive ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment, and the striking beauty of the male bird's huge tail when it is fanned out in courtship display.
The mimids are the New World family of passerine birds, Mimidae, that includes thrashers, mockingbirds, tremblers, and the New World catbirds.As their name (Latin for "mimic") suggests, these birds are notable for their vocalization, especially some species' remarkable ability to mimic a wide variety of birds and other sounds heard outdoors.
Based on specimens sent from New South Wales to England, Major-General Thomas Davies illustrated and described this species as the "superb lyrebird", which he called Menura superba, in a presentation to the Linnean Society of London on 4 November 1800, but his work was not published until 1802; [5] in the intervening time period, however, the species was described and named Menura ...
In addition, many species of bowerbird are superb vocal mimics. MacGregor's bowerbird, for example, has been observed imitating pigs, waterfalls, and human chatter. Satin bowerbirds commonly mimic other local species as part of their courtship display. Bowerbirds have also been observed creating optical illusions in their bowers to appeal to mates.
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The species is known for its ability to mimic bird calls and other types of sound, including artificial and electronic noises. Studies have shown its ability to identify individual humans and treat them differently based on learned threat assessments. [3] It is an omnivore and consumes fruit, invertebrates, and small vertebrates. It is often ...
The spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus among dairy cows has worried health experts, who say it increases the risk of the virus becoming a greater threat to humans. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times)