An Amazing Bird...
Lyrebirds
are found along the coast of Australia. They also live in Tasmania, and
love dampened forests or wetlands, which are hard to traverse.
They
are superb at imitating other birds and in many cases can fool even the
most experienced bird watcher with the many bird cries they can
imitate, so that they think they are hearing an entirely different bird.
Lyre birds
eat from the ground, using their claws to rake over the leaves and soil
searching for worms, any insects and sometimes invertebrates’ snails
and other
small ground creatures.
They have very long claws and strong feet and legs which aid them in the task of looking for food.
One very interesting thing about the Lyrebird is the way they court their mates.
Lyre Bird
The male Lyre bird will build a tall mount of grass and dirt, which he will
them climb and stand on. He spreads his tail feathers straight up and
over his head, which being shaped like the musical instrument for which
the bird is named, look like a lyre.
The only time he will spread his tail is for mating rituals.
While
he is doing this, he will mimic the sounds of other birds and sing
songs as he moves in circles dancing to attract the female.
Once a female is interested, they will breed anytime from May to August.
Male Lyrebirds may have more than one mate at any given time.
The female Lyrebird then weaves the nest and lays one brown spotted egg.
No assistance is given in either nesting or in rearing the young by the male bird.
The single egg takes about 6 weeks to hatch and the new baby chick is covered in snow white down.
He will stay in the nest for about ten weeks before flying off on his own.
:o)
Beautiful boid. Thought of your gang when their eating behavior was described.
ReplyDeleteDoes Charlie dance?
The gang eats the same way - Nothing larger than them is safe! Charlie DOES dance. Will try to have the trusty camera ready when he does!
DeleteA bit like a peacock in appearance.
ReplyDeleteAren't those feathers beautiful, Gorges? Such a pretty bird!
DeleteAnother factoid; They collect interesting thing to decorate their courting arena. Blue is the preferred color. Rings from milk bottles, bottle caps, shells and other unusual bits. The nest isn't the normal looking circle, it is upright and looks like an open topped tunnel made of grass. Fascinating to discover while bush walking. Thanks for sharing the info about a lovely and somewhat eccentric bird.
ReplyDeleteWow! It must have been wonderful to see them in the wild! Lucky you! Our crows will pickup small things like that, too.
DeleteOops, my mistake. Confused the Lyrebird with a Bower bird. Both species are unique in a down under sort of way.
ReplyDeleteNo problem, Granny. I looked up the Bower bird and it is a beauty! Will do a post on it sometime next week with a big H/T to you! Thanks! :o)
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