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Superb Lyrebird

Menura novaehollandiae

Description:

Australian pheasant-like bird in appearance, males have a magnificent tail during breeding season (winter months) which consists of two outer russet orange and white barred feathers with rounded black end, a series of fine filament feathers and two long pin feathers all held over the head when displaying. Grey brown colouring to the rest of the body for female as well, with occasional russet colour to wings and throat, large feet for digging up leaf litter and soil in search of insects, grubs and worms. The call of the male mimics whatever sounds take his interest and can be passed down to new generations. These sounds include many man-made noise such as car horns, sirens, chainsaws, cameras, whistles, etc. Males display on several 'platforms' scattered throughout the bush.

Habitat:

Mostly found in wet gullies and rainforest environments throughout Victoria, NSW and Queensland eastern regions/mountainous country.

Notes:

On this our second visit for the season, the male bird was keen to continue looking for food ignoring our presence. He listened intently when bird calls rang out and other sounds also made him curious, but food seemed most important to him at the time. He stood close to us many times with a look of curiosity.

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15 Comments

kdpicturemaker
kdpicturemaker 10 years ago

Thanks Jolly Ibanez. Another of my favourite birds.

Jolly Ibañez
Jolly Ibañez 10 years ago

Awesome plumage. Beautiful

kdpicturemaker
kdpicturemaker 10 years ago

Thanks Marta, Antonio, Emily, Mark, Christiane.

kdpicturemaker
kdpicturemaker 10 years ago

Thank you LeanneG and Gilma. I feel very privileged to be in the company of nature and bear witness to the things on offer, and the lyrebirds are special to me. Hopefully I can share more images next year with all of you.

Beautiful!!

LeanneGardner
LeanneGardner 10 years ago

Wow! Loving your collection kd. This though, has to be one of my faves. How lucky you are to have seen these magnificent birds.

kdpicturemaker
kdpicturemaker 10 years ago

Yes Mark, breeding season plays a big part in feather colour intensity on a lot of birds. Would be great to see your photos of southern birds. Breeding is usually from about late May through to August depending on region and whether it's Superb or Albert's, sometimes individuals may start activities earlier and later in the season.

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 10 years ago

And I think they vary with breeding season too. I must check on our locals soon.

kdpicturemaker
kdpicturemaker 10 years ago

Depends on where the setting sunlight is when I take the photos; they're usually in the darkest parts of the forest but when out in clearings as the sunlight filters through it picks up amazing colours on everything including vegetation, and it seems more intense as surrounding is so dark and almost colourless, and eyes struggle to adjust, so have been lucky to capture same with camera.
Looking forward to next season!

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 10 years ago

Great shots. You don't often catch the colours under the male tail.

EmilyMarino
EmilyMarino 10 years ago

I love your lyrebirds! Keep them coming!

Gorgeous kdpicturemaker,congrats and thanks for sharing

The MnMs
The MnMs 10 years ago

Nice spotting!

kdpicturemaker
kdpicturemaker 10 years ago

Thanks! Has to be one of my favourites too. Would love to see the Albert's one day, but they are few and far between.

Christiane
Christiane 10 years ago

Love it ... Love it... One of my favorite birds in Australia.. They make the best sounds.. :)

kdpicturemaker
Spotted by
kdpicturemaker

NSW, Australia

Spotted on Jun 30, 2013
Submitted on Dec 11, 2013

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