The lyrebird draws its name from an old musical instrument, lyre. It is so called because when the male lyrebird spreads its magnificent tail, it resembles a lyre. This tail is only spread during the beautiful courtship dance, which the male does to excite the female and is accompanied by an equally mesmerizing throaty crooning. It is the largest singing bird.
There are two species of lyrebirds found in Australia. One is the Superb Lyrebird which is larger and has more elaborate lyrate feathers, while the other is Albert's Lyrebird which is smaller and has less spectacular lyrate feathers, but is otherwise similar to the former. Lyrebirds have short and rounded wings that make them poor fliers. As a result they run quickly through the undergrowth to escape danger or if on a slope they glide and flap. |
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Lyrebirds are the mischievous mimicry artists who can mimic as many as 20 different birds and also some other sounds like car horns, dog's bark, chainsaws, etc. This mimicry is Lyrebird's way to mark its territory. They are plain brown birds about the size of a bantam but have long tails.
Lyrebirds have dome-shaped nest made by the female on ground or at fork in tree-trunk. The female builds a dome-shaped nest on the ground or at the fork in the trunk of a tree. It is a framework of sticks and has a soft lining of fern roots and feathers. A strategically placed side entrance protects the egg from predators. Lyrebirds prefer to breed in winters when it is the easiest to access food and the temperature is just optimum. The chicks come out of the eggs in about six weeks and take another set of six weeks to leave the nest.
The lyrebirds dwell largely in the Eastern Seaboard of Australia to the East of the Great Dividing Range. Some are also found in Tasmania. They live in rugged terrains of damp rainforests, eucalyptus forests and wet woodlands. They hunt for food in between the creases of fallen and in the crevices of rotting logs. The usually feed on insects, worms, snails and little sand hoppers.
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