A taxidermist who had never seen a live specimen mounted a bird with its tail held in the shape of a lyre, a U-shaped, harp-like instrument.

Further details:

The male Superb Lyrebird's tail always has the lyre-shape. Its tail feathers are ornately curved, and when on display for a female, can assume the shape of the stringed intrument known as the lyre. The Albert's Lyrebird does not have this feature.

The name "lyrebird" was coined when the first Superb Lyrebird specimen was sent back to England. The lyrebird was named by John Latham, an English physicist and naturalist ... not by a taxidermist.