John,
Probably a lyrebird COULD mimic something after a single hearing.
However the social system of lyrebirds dictates that there is a fixed
structure to the birdcalls that are mimicked, younger males learn the
mimicry from older males, all the lyrebirds in any one area will all
sing the same suite of mimicked species. Accuracy to each mimicked
species is reinforced by hearing that species in the wild.
Between 1934 and 1949, 22 Superb Lyrebirds from the state of Victoria
on mainland Australia were released into Tasmania, the island state
of Australia where formerly no lyrebirds occurred. Some of the bird
species the lyrebirds had mimicked in Victoria did not occur in
Tasmania e.g. Eastern Whipbird. However the whipbird mimicry
persisted for many years (say 30 +) until it gradually became almost
unrecognisable. Also, the lyrebirds in Tasmania gradually began to
pick up on the local Tasmanian endemics, they began to mimic them and
add them to the repertoire.
So the social learning process of lyrebirds takes a very long time.
Vicki
On 11/11/2011, at 9:41 PM, jtudor2005 wrote:
>
>
> --- In vickipowys
> <> wrote: A learning lyrebird sometimes
>> gives a slightly wobbly mimicked call
>
> Vicki
>
> How long does a Lyrebird need to hear something for before it will
> mimick it?
>
> john
>
>
>
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