Male lyrebirds imitate a flock of birds to scare females into mating

Dalziell thinks the males aimed to scare the females into staying and mating. While male birds are known for using songs to attract a mate, this suggests male lyrebirds can also use them to deceive.

The use of complex songs during mating is unusual, says Christopher Templeton at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, as is the birds’ mimicry. “It is exciting to see that lyrebirds imitate the sound of mobbing flocks with wing beats,” he says.

By  Priti Parikh, New Scientist