Lyrebirds: Characteristics, Behavior and Reproduction | Sea Life, Islands and Oceania

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LYREBIRDS

male superb lyrebird

Lyrebirds are timid, ground-dwelling birds that live in the temperate forests and subtropical rainforests of southeastern Australian. There are two species. The most widespread are superb lyrebirds. Rarer Albert lyrebirds live in a smaller range in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. Lyrebirds are named after the lyre shape of the male superb lyrebird’s tail feathers when displayed for females. Albert lyrebirds lack the elaborate tails that superb lyrebirds have. Both species are excellent mimics. They can imitate the sounds of chainsaws as well as the calls of other birds. Males put on an impressive courtship displays.

Lyrebirds are passerine songbirds that belong to the family Menuridae. Suberb lyrebirds are among the few bird species that have both a spectacular call and an elaborate display. Males display and dance on mounds that females tour around. David Attenborough wrote in The Life of Birds, "When the male displays, he bends his tail forward over his back and fans it out in a most spectacular fashion. But at the same time he sings one of the longest, most melodious and complex of all bird songs."

"The males, in their need to increase the length and variety of their song and outdo their rivals, have become superb mimics. They include in their array a cascade of trills, warbles and liquid notes, the songs of almost every bird in the surrounding forest...Some individuals have territories close to those occupied by human beings and they incorporate...accurate imitations of things such as spot-welding machines, burglar alarms and camera motor drives.”

In the breeding season superb lyrebirds may shake their brilliant tail fathers and sing from dawn until noon. Albert’s lyrebirds often perform their elaborate songs out of earshot of females long after the mating season has ended.

Superb Lyrebirds

range of superb lyrebird

Superb lyrebirds (Menura novaehollandiae) are one of the world's largest songbirds, and are well-known for their elaborate tail, courtship displays, and excellent mimicry. According to David Attenborough, they have among the most "the most elaborate, the most complex, and the most beautiful" vocal skills in the animal kingdom. It is estimated these birds live for about 15 years.

Superb lyrebirds range from around Brisbane is the north to Sydney to the south and around the southeast corner of Australia to around Melbourne. These birds were also introduced to Tasmania during the 1930s and 40s. They are not located in the middle of the cities just mentioned, but are in the forests around them. Lyrebirds do not usually venture far from home and stay in the same forested areas on the ground. Lyrebirds spend most of their time on the ground, they prefer darker gullies to hide in and tend to stay out of trees. They like ground-covering plants like ferns to hide in. They occasionally roost and sleep in trees at night or fly to trees to escape a threat — about the only times the lyrebirds fly. Their ground-dwelling habits limit their geographic range.[Source: Emily Bean, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) |=|]

Superb lyrebirds are not endangered or threatened. They are designated as a species of least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List because they have a fairly large distribution. However, they are experiencing habitat loss and degradation and they live in areas with some of the largest human populations in Australia. They are found in some national parks around Melbourne and other regions along the coast of Australia. The Tasmania population is thriving and even growing.

Superb Lyrebird Characteristics and Tail Feathers

Superb Lyrebirds are of the world’s largest passerine (perching) songbirds and sexual dimorphism (differences between males and females) is present: Males are larger than females. Males are around 100 centimeters (39 inches) in length and 1.1 kilograms (2.4 pounds) in weight. Females are 76 to 80 centimeters (30-31 inches) in length and weigh 0.9 kilograms (two pounds). The wingspan for males is 68 to 76 centimeters (27 to 30 inches) with the females being slightly smaller. The length measurements above include their long tail. The distinctive lyre-shaped tail of males can account for two thirds of the male's total length. The head and body are around 30 centimeters (12 inches) long, with males being slightly larger than females. [Source: Emily Bean, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) |=|]

Plumage is brownish grey on the upper body, red-brown on the coverts and wings, with brownish grey underparts. The feathers are brighter and the tail is longer than that of Albert's lyrebirds. As lyrebirds are ground-dwelling birds their wing musculature is not very developed. The wings are short and round, and are only capable of weak flight, being mainly used for balance or for gliding from trees to the ground. The legs are powerful, capable of running quickly, and the feet are strong enough to move branches up to 10 cm in diameter. [Source: Wikipedia]

Males and females have different shapes. Sexes are also colored and patterned differently with the male being more colorful. Females are less striking than males with shorter, brownish grey feathers everywhere. Juveniles, male and female, are slightly different in having brown feathers covering them to assist with camouflaging against the forest floor.

Males have ornate tails that are 55-70 centimeters (22-28 inches) long with 16 feathers. The two outer two feathers are broad and S-shaped named "lyrates" for their resemblance to the shape of a lyre. Lyrates of superb lyrebirds are larger than those of Albert lyrebirds. Between the lyrates are twelve filamentaries, feathers of flexible silvery barbs. In the centre of the tail are two silvery median feathers. It takes about seven years for males to form their tail. Most of the feathers making the elaborate tail are wispy and white and the two outermost are brown and white striped and have a curve at the end.

Superb Lyrebird Behavior and Diet

Superb Lyrebirds are cursorial (with limbs adapted to running), terricolous (live on the ground) and sedentary (remain in the same area). They rely on their long and powerful legs and feet to run to escape from predators, to get around and move leaf litter off the forest floor to uncover insects. Small feeding groups (consisting of males and/or females) sometimes forage for for food but together but otherwise they are solitary birds. They aren’t usually hostile with each other, except during breeding season when males are more competitive with others. [Source: Emily Bean, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) |=|]

Superb Lyrebirds are carnivores (eat meat or animal parts) and recognizes as insectivores (eat insects), molluscivores (eat mollusks) and vermivores (eat worms). There is some evidence that they eat fungi. Lyrebirds use their long legs and strong feet to scratch vigorously of the upper soil layers and leaf litter on the forest floor to reveal insects, worms, spiders, fly and beetle larvae, and snails that they eat. Their legs and feet are strong to upturn fairly large stones and pull bark from trees, important for foraging larvae and certain kinds of insects and non-insect arthropods such as spiders. Feeding groups are often made up of all-female and all- male groups.

The main predators of lyrebirds are introduced cats and foxes that take advantage of the lyrebirds’ inability to fly well. Lyrebirds rely on stealth and running quickly through the underbrush to evade predators. Sometimes they fly to the trees to hide, but not that often. They don’t really have other defense mechanism and cannot fight back much when cornered.

Superb Lyrebird Communication and Mimicry

Lyrbirds are well-known for their vocal displays and mimicking abilities, with an estimated 70 to 80 percent of the male's vocalisations consisting of imitations of other species, mostly other birds but occasionally marsupials. Females regularly sing, producing both lyrebird-specific songs and vocal mimicry. Both sexes can intersperse vocal mimicry with lyrebird-specific vocalisations including songs and alarm calls.

Lyrbirds can imitate at least 16 different bird species as well as a variety of sounds made by humans. David Attenborough's book “Life of Birds” describes superb lyrebirds able to imitate twenty bird species' calls, and a male is shown mimicking a car alarm, chainsaw, and various camera shutters. However, two of the three lyrebirds featured were captive birds. One of the three was observed imitating a laughing kookaburra so well a nearby kookaburra began responding to the lyrebird and calling back. [Source: Wikipedia +]

Lyrbirds can imitate mimic almost any sound, even dripping water drops. This ability helps them them both stand out and blend in. Standing out is important when mating or defending territory. Blend in by mimicking the sounds of other birds can help to elude unwanted predator attention or by sounding like something that could drive off a predator. Specific-specific, non-mimicry sounds including ‘alarms’ and more melodic songs called ‘whistle songs’. The vocalizations of some superb lyrebirds in the New England area of New South Wales are said to possess a flute-like timbre.[Source: Emily Bean, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) |=|]

Male lyrebirds use these impressive vocalizations for attracting mates and defending territories. The more unique and complicated the sounds a male make the better his chances are of attracted a female. Studies have indicated that females are relatively silent during courtship, but make sophisticated sounds and imitations during the non-breeding season as well as when defending their young. Some research suggests that lyrebirds do not use such complex mimicry to communicate with others of their species except for defense or breeding — arguing there is no other good reason for them to make such loud and compound vocalizations for hours on end. |=|

The mimicry of the superb lyrebird is very accurate, with some mimiced bird species unable to distinguish between a song mimicked lyrebirds and one made their owne species. One study found that this was case with shrike-thrushes. Generally, juveniles initially learn to mimic from mimic sounds by older lyrebirds, rather than from the original species. This was appears to have been the case of vocalisations of lyrebirds in the Sherbrooke Forest in Victoria, were the songs of pilotbirds were frequently heard even though species that had not been recorded in the area for over 10 years. +

The quality of mimicry increases with age, with adult superb lyrebirds having both greater accuracy and sophistication and a more diverse repertoire of mimetic songs than subadult birds. There are significant differences in lyrebird songs in areas. This is likely due to different local bird speciess found in different area but may also be due to differences in the acoustic environment created by different vegetation structures. The mimicry of male superb lyrebirds is a well-known example of a sexually selected trait. Females prefer males that produce more accurate mimicry and that have a greater diversity of mimetic songs in their repertoire. There is evidence that females respond to things like signal degradation, reverberation and attenuation that are not picked up by human ears as well as frequency and volume. +

Superb Lyrebird Mating, Courtship Displays and Offspring

Superb lyrebirds are polygynandrous (promiscuous), with both males and females having multiple partners. A male's territory can overlap with the territories of up to six females. Lyrebirds engage in seasonal breeding — once a year in the southern hemisphere fall and winter. The average gestation period is 42 days. Parental care is provided by females. Once they are ready, they lay a single egg (ranging from grey to dark purple-brown with spots) in a domed nest made from twigs, roots, bark, and camouflaged with moss. Nesting sites are usually hidden on the ground in a bank, gullies, etc. but will occasionally are wedged in low branches of trees if there are more predators in the area. [Source: Emily Bean, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) |=|]

Male lyrebirds use their impressive vocalizations and visual displays with their tail plumage to attract mates. Within their territory, males construct several circular mounds of bare dirt on the forest floor, on which thet perform their courtship displays. These mounds are defended vigorously from other males. Males are heard throughout the day while they are building their mounds from soil. Females visit the territories of several different males and choose the most desirable males with which to copulate. [Source: Wikipedia +]

superb lyrebird female

When a male encounters a female lyrebird, he performs an elaborate courtship display that has both song and dance elements on the nearest mound. The male fans out his tail horizontally to cover his entire body and head. The tail feathers are vibrated, and the lyrebird beats his wings against his body and struts around the mound. He also sings loudly, incorporating his own vocalisations with mimicry of other bird calls. After mating, the male performs an ornate postcopulatory display shaking his tail while producing a soft clicking sound. During this he faces the female and often walks backwards. One study has found that the lyrebirds' 'dance choreography' is highly coordinated to different types of song repertoire. Coordination of movement with acoustic signals is a trait previously thought to be unique to humans, and indicates high cognitive ability.

Females build the nest, incubate the egg, and care for the young. They incubate the egg for longer than most passerine birds. The chick is able to leave the nest about six weeks after hatching and spends around nine months with its mother until independence. If the nest is in a tree, however, it can take longer for the chick to leave in order for its wings to develop a bit more. Soon after the chicks become independent they can begin searching for mates in the next breeding season. Males do not participate in caring for young. A 2016 study showed that females’ vocalize with more complexly and frequently when defending their nest.

Albert's Lyrebirds

Albert's lyrebirds (Menura alberti) are also known as northern lyrebirds. They are endemic to subtropical rainforests in a small area on the state border between New South Wales and Queensland. The total population of Albert's lyrebirds was estimated at only 3,500 breeding birds in 2000, with one of the smallest distributional ranges of any bird in Australia on the continent. Even so on the IUCN Red List they are classified as a species of “Least Concern”. They are named after Prince Albert, the prince consort of Queen Victoria. They lack the elegant lyre-shaped tail feathers of the superb lyrebird. [Source: Wikipedia]

Albert's lyrebirds are a ground-dwelling birds. Females reach about 75 centimeters (30 inches) in length and males reach about 90 centimeters (35 inches). They have a wingspan of 76 to 79 centimeters (30 to 31 inches) and weigh on average about .93 kilogram (a little over two pounds). They are chestnut-brown in color with a rufous undertail, rump, and throat. The bill and irises are black or dark brown. They have a broad, blue-grey ring around their eyes. The legs and feet are brownish grey to dark grey or black.

Albert's lyrebird

The sexes are alike except for the shape of the tail. The tail of males is not as a spectacular as the tail of the superb lyrebird but is still impressive during courtship displays and is composed of: 1) a central pair of long ribbon-like dark-brown median plumes; 2) six pairs of long, filmy and luxuriant filamentary feathers, which are black-brown above and dark grey below; and 3) a long broad fully webbed outermost pair of lyrates, which are black-brown above and dark grey below. The tail of females is shorter, simpler, slightly drooping and appears more pointed when closed; it is composed of a pair of long, narrow and tapered median plumes, and fully webbed, broad, brown feathers with rounded tips, but lacks filamentaries. When walking, the male carries its tail in an upward-curving train.

Albert's lyrebird appears to feed mainly on insects, including beetles, and their larvae, and other soil-dwelling invertebrates. They usually find food on the ground, particularly in areas with deep moist leaf litter and fallen logs. They prefer rainforests with a dense understorey of vines and shrubs, or wet sclerophyll forest with a dense understorey of rainforest plants, including temperate rainforest. They are occasionally recorded in mixed eucalypt forests.

Albert's Lyrebird Mimicry

Like superb lyrebirds, Albert’s lyrebirds have powerful, flexible voices and use a mixture of their own calls and mimicry of other species in long unbroken passages of song. In comparison to the superb lyrebird, the Albert's lyrebird limits its mimicry to a smaller range of species, with the green catbirds, satin bowerbirds. whipbirds and rosellas being the most commonly imitated birds. Vocalizations can change abruptly deep and resonant sounds to to high thin squeaks and trills, then change again to harsh noises. [Source: Wikipedia]

Albert's lyrebird range

Some of the passages of song begin with a soft, mellow sound that rises clearer and louder, which has been likened to the howl of a dingo. The mimicry is arranged into sequences that are repeated with only moderate variations. The males learn these sequences from other lyrebirds through social transmission, so that males within a location share the same sequence of mimetic songs. Albert's lyrebird's own song shows geographic variation, and different populations can be distinguished by this variation in song.

Males call for many hours a day during the peak of the winter breeding season and are quiet at other times. The alarm call of Albert's lyrebirds is shrill shriek. Even when Albert's lyrebird’s calls are heard the birds themselves are shy and elusive and is not easily seen in the dense tangled vegetation of its habitat.

Albert's Lyrebird Courtship Display and Reproduction

During the male courtship display, male Albert's lyrebirds use a flat piece of ground from which all debris has been raked for a stage, rather than a mound like the superb lyrebird. In display, the male initially raises his tail to arch forwards above the head, then gradually lowers and shimmers it forwards until the bird is enveloped beneath the veil of fine bushy filaments, these are silvery with the shiny white underside of the plumes uppermost. [Source: Wikipedia]

Clutch-size is a single egg. The eggs can vary greatly in colour and, sometimes, shape, but are usually shaded brown or grey with spots and blotches, and sometimes other markings, of varying tones of brown and grey. The female incubates the eggs and feeds and broods the nestlings without any help from the male. The young fledge at approximately five and a half weeks.

Eggs have been recorded from late May to mid-August. They nest beneath the canopy, usually in the darkest areas of the forest. Nests are often located in rocky areas, usually on ledges, in clefts or between rocks. Females sometimes nest close to sites used the previous year; occasionally, nest-sites may be re-used. The female alone builds the nest, which is dome-shaped and has a side entrance. It it is composed of sticks, fern fronds, rootlets, bark, pieces of palm leaf and moss, and is lined with moss, fine plant material, and feathers. Construction of the nest may take three weeks or more but looks a pile of accumulated rainforest debris, which makes it quite inconspicuous.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org , National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, Australian Museum, David Attenborough books, Australia Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The Conversation, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated August 2025