lyrebird

noun lyre·bird \ ˈlī(-ə)r-ˌbərd \

Definition of lyrebird

: either of two Australian passerine birds (genus Menura) distinguished in the male by very long tail feathers displayed in the shape of a lyre during courtship

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Recent Examples of lyrebird from the Web

The team noticed that species with particularly ancient lineages, such as lyrebirds, scrub-birds and New Zealand wrens, still build roofed structures—suggesting that ancestral passerine nests were domed.

— kat long, Scientific American, "Bird Nests Used to Look More Like Fortresses," 1 May 2017
Briefly, another fascinating surprise was the propensity of ravens to mimic human sounds, much like parrots or lyrebirds do.

— james floyd kelly, WIRED, "Book Review and Author Interview: Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez," 12 July 2012

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lyrebird.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.