Birds as Guardians of Human History: The Fascinating Tale of the Lyrebird That Played the Flute

Have you ever heard a bird sing a song that is eerily similar to a song written by a human?

However, this is not as incredible as it might seem.

One of nature’s finest vocal impressionists, the magnificent lyrebird resides deep in the forests of southeastern Australia. About the size of a pheasant, this warbler is well known for its amazing ability to accurately reproduce the sounds of its surroundings.

The lyrebird can imitate any sound, including the sharp crack of the whip of other birds and the cackling laughter of kookaburras, to such an extent that even the native species is fooled.

However, the lyre’s versatility goes far beyond mimicking other raptors. These bird experts are also able to imitate human voices and music, as well as artificial sounds such as chainsaws, cameras, fire sirens, and camera reviews.

Up to 80% of the rich and complex song of the male lyre is precisely trained facial expressions interwoven with singing. A single bird can accurately replicate the calls of more than 20 different species.

Even more amazing is the lyrebird’s long-term auditory memory.

Even after hearing complex calls only a few times, they are able to recall and replicate them.

The bird’s remarkable memory ensures that the songs it has learned last long after the first exposure.

Although copying human sounds is considered an unusual phenomenon, there are fascinating historical accounts of lyrebirds acting as inadvertent archivists of past human activities and cultural artifacts. The story of this species dates back to the 1930s in the forests of New England National Park in New South Wales.

Back then, there was a farmer living near the park who played the flute to entertain his pet lyrebird. Lyrebird, being the skilled imitator that he was, paid close attention and carefully incorporated these flute tunes into his vocal repertoire. This lyrebird continued to play the tunes it learned from its previous owner even after it was returned to the wild.

When park ranger Neville Fenton heard the distinctive flute patterns used in lyre singing in 1969, he was taken aback. That was decades later. After extensive research and advice from musicologists, it was discovered that the mysterious flute sounds were actually altered versions of two well-known tunes from the 1930s: “The Keel Row” and “Mosquito’s Dance”. (Later, however, in historical and contemporary recordings of lyrebirds from the area, the “flute lyrebird” study group, which included Fenton, identified only fragments of “Keel Row” and no evidence of “Mosquito Dance”.)

This amazing research has shown that lyrebirds are able to preserve auditory images of human sounds and even musical compositions from their surroundings for future generations. Lyrebirds can essentially act as biological sound recorders, transmitting acquired vocalization “cassettes” for more than 50 years after initial exposure.

The myth of the flute plays highlights the wider implications of lyrebirds acting as guardians of human cultural heritage, although some academics are still unable to conclusively demonstrate its veracity. Their ability to authentically replicate sounds from the whirring of windmills to the scraping of bush axes gives today’s listeners a unique aural insight into the environmental sounds of fifty, sixty, or more years ago before urbanization took over.

Scholars wondered whether examining remote populations of lyrebirds and their singing habits across Australia might reveal other undiscovered “records” of historical human activity. Who knows what other surviving “sound fossils” might turn up among the layered, imitative melodies of the lyre?

The lyre’s remarkable abilities demonstrate nature’s incredible ability to preserve sounds from the natural world as well as human activity. As these birds continue to imitate not only the calls of other animals but also human-made sounds and even music, they offer a unique window into the past. The story of the lyre flute, whether myth or reality, highlights the potential of these birds to serve as living archives carrying auditory snapshots through time. 

Their long-term memory and accuracy of vocal mimicry make them more than impressive songbirds – they are guardians of auditory history, able to transmit sounds across generations. As researchers continue to examine lyrebird populations and their songs, there is the potential to uncover even more ‘sound fossils’ from decades past, offering us fascinating insights into human history and the changing Australian landscape.

In lyrebird melodies, we are reminded of the deep connection between the natural world and our own cultural heritage, preserved in ways we are only beginning to understand.