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Marvellous mimic

David Attenborough visits a forest in southern Australia to see the bird with the most elaborate song - the superb lyrebird. The lyrebird clears a space in the forest as a concert platform before exhibiting its huge range of calls. To make the most complex song he mimics the calls of other birds - at least 20 different species - but he also imitates other sounds he has heard: a camera shutter, a car alarm and a chainsaw. This performance is an example of the extravagance of male courtship displays.

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3 minutes

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