That’s why a groundbreaking new finding has generated so much buzz among conservationists and the scientific community. It was September 20, 2025 when scientists first made this very important announcement. They found a 17-million-year-old fossil of a large extinct songbird in Boodjamulla National Park, Queensland, Australia. This exciting discovery is good news with spectacular implications. The ancestry of Australia’s endemic songbirds — including the iconic vocal mimics lyrebirds — goes much further back in time than we previously imagined.
This fossil belonged to a now-extinct species of songbird. It provides a unique window into the ancient evolutionary history of these amazing birds. Native to Australia, lyrebirds are well-known for their incredible skills at imitating just about any sound they hear. They can pretend to be chainsaws, horns, fire alarms, and even trains! Wildlife experts have been captivated by this ability for decades. What they’ve experienced is the astonishing intelligence and range of vocalizations these creatures can mimic.
Insights from Experts
Mike Archer, a professor at the University of New South Wales, called the find “one of the most important” discoveries of its kind. He said the fossil finds were helping to illuminate the ancient ancestry of the songbirds of Australia and the extraordinary capacity of this lineage to adapt to change. Archer’s find emphasizes just how ancient these grackles’ ancestors were. An accidental side effect of this research is that it highlights some of the evolutionary pressures that have helped mold their extraordinary vocal talents.
Archer provided additional details about how the fossilized remains help us understand the ecological niches filled by these ancient songbirds. The research team just as excited to find out how extinct species interacted with their environment. …to develop their capacity to learn how these species evolved over the last millions of years. These findings have the potential to reshape our understanding of the earlier history of avian life in Australia.
The Lyrebird’s Unique Abilities
Lyrebirds have long been considered one of nature’s greatest imitators. Their astonishing ability to imitate nearly every sound around them serves important roles in communication and courtship displays. The incredible variety of sounds consists of both natural sounds as well as human-created ones, on display of their flexibility. These remarkable birds have already been documented mimicking everything from camera shutter sounds to dog barks.
The 17-million-year-old fossil find fills crucial gaps in our understanding of how these extraordinary traits evolved. It’s a fascinating new layer to our further understanding of what evolutionary history has wrought. As we continue to explore the fossil record, our hope is that we can start to establish more links between ancient and modern animals.
Implications for Conservation
This unusual fossil find has significance beyond their evolutionary history. Learning about the evolutionary trajectories of other songbirds, such as lyrebirds, can help guide conservation practice. As habitats change and human activity encroaches on natural environments, knowing how these birds adapted in the past can guide strategies for their preservation.
Wildlife experts believe that protecting the current ecosystems is crucial for ensuring that future generations can appreciate the remarkable vocal talents of lyrebirds and other Australian songbirds. Perhaps the wisdom accrued from this million-year-old fossil can help us chart a course through today’s conservation headwinds.