lyrebird

American  

[lahyuhr-burd] / ˈlaɪərˌbɜrd /

noun

1. an Australian passerine bird of the genus Menura, the male of which has a long tail that is lyrate when spread.

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lyrebird British  

/ ˈlaɪəˌbɜːd /

noun

1. either of two pheasant-like Australian birds, Menura superba and M. alberti, constituting the family Menuridae: during courtship displays, the male spreads its tail into the shape of a lyre

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Etymology

Origin of lyrebird

First recorded in 1825–35; lyre + bird

Example Sentences

So can the capital's wildlife compare to the broadcaster's encounters with mountain gorillas in Rwanda, the mimicry of a lyrebird in Australia or a blue whale breaching beside his small boat?

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

Then, you can hear a single male lyrebird give a nearly pitch-perfect imitation of the mob’s coos and clucks.

From Science Magazine • Feb. 25, 2021

This collection captures the five-octave range of the lyrebird via a mutating mélange of melodies, trills, clicks, squeaks, warbles and staccato bursts.

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2020

If you shoot too many pictures of a lyrebird, it will add the sound of your camera to its repertoire.

From The Guardian • Mar. 23, 2018

There is at least one exception to the smaller-is-sweeter rule: Australia's pheasant-size superb lyrebird, a type of passerine, is "undoubtedly the bird with the world's most complex song," Remsen says by email.

From National Geographic • Jul. 4, 2015