The Bird Who Can Mimic Laser Guns and Camera Shutters

[Potoooooooo]

These are really amazing



http://io9.com/the-bird-who-can-mimic-laser-guns-and-camera-shutters-1623257486

Superb lyrebirds have the ability to mimic any sounds from their environment, including chainsaws, toy laser guns, camera shutters, jackhammers and also human voice. Sometimes, in summer, they sing for hours a day. Here are some of their most amazing songs.

 

[thebeave]

That's really cool. We have mockingbirds around here that do the same thing, though probably not as skilled as the lyrebirds. One used to hang out at the crosswalks in town and randomly repeat the "chirp" from the crosswalk device that lets blind people know its OK to cross the street. Never heard whether any blind people actually stepped out into traffic.

 

[Malintent]

I had a pet crow that learned to mimic sounds to get our attention. He even said, "Hello" to us (but with a crow accent... it sounded like "Ha-ROW!")

 

[Hickdive]

My mate had an African grey parrot and a German Shepherd that went daft every time the doorbell went.

The parrot learned to mimic the doorbell and would deliberately wind the dog up.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

What I need is a bird who can make noncommittal grunts so that when my wife is yammering away at me about something, I don't even need to pay enough attention to make vague noises and can concentrate more on the TV.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

I had a pet crow that learned to mimic sounds to get our attention. He even said, "Hello" to us (but with a crow accent... it sounded like "Ha-ROW!")

Does it do Christmas carols?

 

[Malintent]

Only, "Chestnuts roasting under an open fire".. but for the life of me, I couldn't even get him to say, "Never More!". damn birdbrain.

 

[Potoooooooo]

here is the bird in action

 

[Emily Lake]

I recall boat-tailed grackles making some fantastically non-bird sounds. Lots of construction site sorts of noises: gravel trucks being emptied, jackhammers, clanging metal, grinding gears, that sort of thing. Really unnerving when you didn't know it was birds. I spent several hours at a hotel trying to figure out what sort of construction they were doing on the roof before I realized it was a group of birds having a conversation!

 

[skepticalbip]

I had a pet crow that learned to mimic sounds to get our attention. He even said, "Hello" to us (but with a crow accent... it sounded like "Ha-ROW!")

It musta been a Chinese crow.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

My mate had an African grey parrot and a German Shepherd that went daft every time the doorbell went.

The parrot learned to mimic the doorbell and would deliberately wind the dog up.

Probably related to my cat.

She liked to go sit someplace high where the neighbor's dogs would see her and go ape.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I recall boat-tailed grackles making some fantastically non-bird sounds. Lots of construction site sorts of noises: gravel trucks being emptied, jackhammers, clanging metal, grinding gears, that sort of thing. Really unnerving when you didn't know it was birds. I spent several hours at a hotel trying to figure out what sort of construction they were doing on the roof before I realized it was a group of birds having a conversation!

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

Only, "Chestnuts roasting under an open fire".. but for the life of me, I couldn't even get him to say, "Never More!". damn birdbrain.

I was hoping for "Deck the Halls".

 

[rjh01]

No thread like this is complete without a video from David Attenborough

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y

 

[Malintent]

Just last night I saw a video of a whale mimiking motor boat sounds. The whale grew up in a heavy boat traffic bay and came to want to socialize with the boats... so it learned their "call".