KIDSBOOKS | THE TALENTED LYRE BIRD

A lovely musical sound is heard
From the rainforests of Queensland
Also the whirr of an electric saw
And the toots and da-dums of a marching band

They’re not the sounds of a jungle party
Nor a trumpeter tuning his instrument
It’s just the superb lyre bird
Showing off his many vocal talents

He can be found in the theatres he builds
In the shrubs of his forest abode
In which he dances like a prima donna
For all the girls in his neighbourhood

He fans out his beautiful tail
The girls all watch with interested eyes
He’ll then take two steps forward
One step back, three to the side

He then goes up to the nearest bird
And asks her if she likes his dance
If she says “Oh yes I do good sir!”
Well, then its the start of a little romance

The superb lyrebird sets out to impress
Not one girl but a whole lot of them
He’ll sing for up to four hours a day
Until every last one is in love with him

Every year he puts up ever more
Beautiful acts of song and dance
Better and better are his displays
As he entertains his special audience

If you ever chance to come across
An especially friendly lyre bird
Say something to him a few times
And he may just say your magic word