lyrebird means either of two large ground-dwelling Australian songbirds, of the genus Menura, named because of the beautiful tail feathers of the male of one species, the superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae), which can be erected to look like a lyre, and notable for their extraordinary ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment.
Why “lyrebird” is a great word
A large, ground-dwelling Australian songbird of the genus Menura, renowned for the male's spectacular tail—which resembles a lyre when fanned erect—and for its prodigious ability to mimic virtually any sound it hears. From lyre (a stringed musical instrument of ancient Greece) + bird. First attested in the early 19th century. Unlike the mockingbird (which borrows melodies but lacks the theatrical architecture of plumage) or the peacock (which offers spectacle without the gift of borrowed voice), the lyrebird is both instrument and orchestra, deception and beauty entwined. It is the shock of an ornate, antique harp rising from the damp leaf litter; the uncanny echo of a chainsaw or camera shutter woven into the bush's dawn chorus; and the performer who vanishes after his elaborate dance—a masterpiece of natural artifice that prefers to remain half-seen, reminding us that identity itself can be a collection of echoes, meticulously rehearsed.
Etymology
From lyre + bird.
noun
- Either of two large ground-dwelling Australian songbirds, of the genus Menura, named because of the beautiful tail feathers of the male of one species, the superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae), which can be erected to look like a lyre, and notable for their extraordinary ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment.e.g.“A lyrebird strolled past me on its large feet, among the granite boulders.” — 1983, Helen Garner, Yellow Notebook: Diaries Volume I, Text Publishing, published 2022, page 66:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- lourie 58% match — Any of several species of the family Musophagidae. vs lyrebird →
- lorikeet 57% match — Any of various small, brightly coloured parrots native to Australasia. They are usually classified in the subfamily Loriinae. vs lyrebird →
- woodlark 57% match — A lark, Lullula arborea, the only member of the genus Lullula, found in western Eurasia and northern Africa. vs lyrebird →
- lory 57% match — Any of various small, brightly coloured parrots native to Australasia. They are usually classified in the subfamily Loriinae. vs lyrebird →
- bristlebird 56% match — Any of three species of passerine birds in the genus Dasyornis endemic to Australia. vs lyrebird →
- bloodbird 56% match — An Australian honeyeater, the scarlet myzomela (Myzomela sanguinolenta). vs lyrebird →
- whipbird 56% match — Any of various Australian songbirds in the genus Psophodes. vs lyrebird →
- friarbird 56% match — Any of several species of large Australian honeyeaters in the genus Philemon. vs lyrebird →