Lyrebird 25 Lyrebird Facts

Photo: Lyrebird on branch

The lyrebird is a large ground-dwelling songbird that can mimic almost any sound it hears. These include the sounds of camera shutters, car alarms, ringtones, car engines, crying babies and even human voices. It gets its name from the spectacular shape of its tail feathers, which resemble the ancient Greek harp called a “lyre.”

The lyrebird has large eyes, a pointed beak, a longish neck, and strong legs with large feet with which it digs up forest floor litter and runs swiftly when required. It is capable of limited flight but seldom does. It only flies gain access to a low-lying branch on which to roost.

There are two types of lyrebirds. The superb lyrebird is the larger of the two species, with the male measuring 80-100 cm in length. Its tail makes up more than half of this length. He has light brown wings, a greyish-brown head, and a lower body with red-brown markings on his throat. The male lyrebird’s tail has sixteen feathers. The two outer tail feathers are patterned dark and light brown, forming a lyre shape when extended. The inner feathers are like lacy filigree quills of silver to light brown colour. The female is smaller than the male, measuring 74–84 cm in length, and is similar to the male. The key difference is that it does not have a lyre-shaped tail. The Albert’s lyrebird is about 10% smaller than the superb lyrebird. It is less spectacular all around, even lacking the outer lyre-shaped tail feathers of the superb lyrebird.

Lyrebird – World's Greatest Mimic Listen to Lyrebird Sing

The lyrebird has the most astonishing repertoire of songs. Up to 80% of its songs are cut and pastes of sounds from its environment. Its mimicry is so accurate that it can even fool the animal it imitates. Females sing occasionally, but not with the same bravado as the males.

During mating season, the male lyrebird showcases its impressive creativity by combining its own songs with an extraordinary array of other natural and artificial sounds from its environment. This unique cacophony of complex sounds is designed to attract a female.

Lyrebird - Habitat Where Do Lyrebirds Live?

The lyrebird lives in moist forest areas of south-eastern Australia from south-east Queensland, through New South Wales and into Victoria east of the Great Dividing Range of mountains.

It is also found in Tasmania, where it was introduced in the 19th century. Albert’s lyrebird is only found in small pockets of forest in southern Queensland.

The lyrebird is a shy, solitary ground-dwelling bird that is well camouflaged in its environment. One is unlikely to see one except as a fleeting blur as it runs for cover if spotted.

It prefers a habitat with moist forest floors and leaf litter in which it rummages for food. It uses low branches to roost in at night.

Lyrebird - Diet What Does a Lyrebird Eat?

Lyrebirds feed mainly on ground insects such as worms, spiders, snails, millipedes, and centipedes. They use their large feet to claw aside leaf litter to reveal hiding prey, which they deftly pick off with their sharp pointy beaks. Occasionally they eat seeds too.

Lyrebird - Reproduction & Life Cycle Lyrebird Babies

During the breeding season, between May to August, the male lyrebird busies himself by first building a stage from which to sing his love songs. He clears a patch on the forest floor and builds a small mound on which to stand so he can be better seen and heard by possible mates. He then spreads out his magnificent lyre-shaped tail feathers and displays them over his head as he sings and dances to attract a female.

Each male usually mates with several females. After mating, the male takes no further interest in the female. She makes a dome-shaped nest of sticks, bark, and leaves in a well-hidden location. There she lays a single blotchy brown egg, which she incubates for about 42 days. While incubating, she may leave her nest unattended for between 3 to 6 hours to search for food. The chick stays with its mother for between 6 t o10 weeks before becoming fully independent.

For the first three to four years of their lives, young male lyrebirds are rather plain like the females and lack the fancy plumage of an adult male. Until they acquire their plumage, they are referred to as 'plain-tails'. Lyrebirds live for upto 30 years.

Lyrebird - Predators & Threats What Treats Do Lyrebirds Face?

There no serious native predators of adult lyrebirds. Chicks however, fall victim to native monitor lizards, snakes and wedge-tailed eagles. Land clearing and forest felling by humans are the biggest threat to these birds. The Albert's lyrebird is the most impacted by human activity. Several introduced animals such as dingoes, foxes, feral cats, and dogs are known to attack lyrebirds.

Lyrebird - Conservation Status

The superb lyrebird is not considered to be endangered. The Albert's lyrebird, however, with its very limited habitat, is deemed to be vulnerable.