The Lyrebird’s Song
This video apparently made the rounds on the internet several months ago, but it is so wonderful that we feel compelled to pass it along for those who might not have seen it yet. Earlier this year, to celebrate David Attenborough’s 80th birthday, the public was asked to vote on a favorite moment from his countless TV documentaries. This clip of the Australian lyrebird was voted the most popular. We won’t spoil it by trying to describe it.
We’d also like to call your attention to this extraordinary story about lyrebird:
One researcher, Sydney Curtis, has recorded flute-like lyrebird calls in the vicinity of the New England National Park. Similarly, in 1969, a park ranger, Neville Fenton, recorded a lyrebird song, which resembled flute sounds, in the New England National Park, near Dorrigo in northern coastal New South Wales. After much detective work by Fenton, it was discovered that in the 1930’s, a flute player living on a farm adjoining the park used to play tunes near his pet lyrebird. The lyrebird adopted the tunes into his repertoire, and retained them after release into the park. Neville Fenton forwarded a tape of his recording to Norman Robinson. Because a lyrebird is able to carry two tunes at the same time, Robinson filtered out one of the tunes and put it on the phonograph for the purposes of analysis. The song represents a modified version of two popular tunes in the 1930’s: “The Keel Row” and “Mosquito’s Dance”. Musicologist David Rothenberg has endorsed this information.
Recordings of the New England National Park lyrebird flautist are available here.
August 18th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
[...] Thanks to Athanasius Kircher Society for this wonderful video of the Lyrebird. It’s perfect for a Friday afternoon and guaranteed–guaranteed–to put a smile on your face. [...]
August 18th, 2006 at 3:26 pm
[...] http://www.kirchersociety.org/blog/?p=744 [...]
August 19th, 2006 at 12:51 pm
Is this real?? It’s so hard to believe that a bird could sound like a chain saw or a camera, it made my jaw drop!
August 20th, 2006 at 6:32 pm
Lyrebirds do make all those sounds, and more. There used to be one near where I lived that made the sound of a car alarm and a mobile phone. In the bush they can imitate accuarately all manner of other bird calls, as well as sounds like creaking trees, water bubbling and frogs.
The story about the flute mimicry is also entirely feasible, but one thing that isn’t is the assertion that “Because a lyrebird is able to carry two tunes at the same time, Robinson filtered out one of the tunes”.
This is technically entirely impossible. You can’t ‘filter out’ one piece of music from another, if the two are superimposed. This would be especially difficult with a lyrebird song - even if the bird is carrying two ‘tunes’ to our ears, as far as the lyrebird is concerned it’s just one ’sound’.
September 1st, 2006 at 9:53 am
Actually, you *can* filter out one piece of music from another. I work in machine learning (a branch of artificial intelligence), where this problem has been studied by a number of researchers. We call it “the blind source separation problem.” It turns out that by looking at higher-order statistics of the two songs, they can be successfully “unmixed” and reconstructured in an almost perfect way.
Google “blind source separation” or “the cocktail party problem” to find some examples of this in action.
September 7th, 2006 at 4:07 pm
[...] When the world starts spinning too frantically (from stress, not your three-martini lunch), take a moment to listen to the lovely and versatile song of the lyrebird. Athanasius Kircher [...]
September 14th, 2006 at 7:15 am
You can see how the quietness of the forest can be deafening! This is a beautiful clip indeed.
January 19th, 2007 at 1:28 am
I’d teach this bird a few choice words…
…
March 25th, 2007 at 9:26 am
[...] Proceedings of the Athanasius Kircher Society » The Lyrebird’s Song (tags: nature cool) [...]
August 1st, 2007 at 2:02 pm
What a tragic irony that this innocent bird endeavors to perpetuate his species by immitating the sounds that threaten its habitat–car alarms and chain saws!
August 4th, 2007 at 10:38 pm
Yeah, it’s not that intricate.
August 6th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Dave Van Ronk told me of this years back..he was fascinated with keeping two tunes at once as is done in Tibet by some and as he was able to amazingly do thus the Lyrebird came up as well..
God Bless him..!
August 7th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Wow, amazing, and beautiful
August 20th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
just looked at your veido, woow beautiful great schood be more. great great great ill have some more. love JAN
August 20th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
MORE MORE MORE
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:24 am
How refreshing to hear the varied sounds of the lyrebird. In our area of the world we hear mainly the monotonous churping of the Great Minnesota Lyberal…
“It’s Bush’s fault! It’s Bush’s fault!”
November 15th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Another glorious example
of the diversity and
creativity of an awesome God.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Sounds intersting.. How has this benefited
you? thanks for posting.
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