Also known as Weringerong.
Lyrebirds are among Australia's best-known native birds, notably for their extraordinary ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment, as well as the striking beauty of the male bird's huge tail when it is fanned out in display. The Superb Lyrebird, a ground-dweller, is found in areas of rainforest in Victoria, New South Wales and south-east Queensland, as well as in Tasmania where it was introduced in the 19th century. Females are 74–84cm long, and the males are a larger 80–98cm long. There is one other species of Lyrebird - Albert's Lyrebird - smaller, less spectacular and near threatened, but otherwise similar.
Lyrebirds feed on insects, spiders, earthworms and, occasionally, seeds. They find food by scratching with their feet through the leaf-litter. When in danger, lyrebirds run, rather than fly, being awkward in flight, and have also been seen to take refuge in wombat burrows.
Male lyrebirds call mostly during winter, when they construct and maintain an open arena-mound in dense bush, on which they sing and dance in courtship, to display to potential mates, of which the male lyrebird has several. Females build an untidy nest usually low to the ground in a moist gully where she lays a single egg. She is the sole parent who incubates the egg over 50 days until it hatches, and she is also the sole carer of the lyrebird chick.
A lyrebird's call, unmatched in vocal repertoire and mimicry, is a rich mixture of its own song and any number of other sounds it has heard. The lyrebird is capable of imitating almost any sound — from a mill whistle to a cross-cut saw, and, not uncommonly, sounds as diverse as chainsaws, car engines and car alarms, fire alarms, rifle-shots, camera shutters, dogs barking, crying babies, and even the human voice. Lyrebirds are shy birds and a constant stream of bird calls coming from one place is often the only way of identifying them and their presence. Here is an excellent AV sample of the Superb Lyrebird:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y
Lyrebirds are ancient Australian animals: The Australian Museum has fossils of lyrebirds dating back to about 15 million years ago. The Aboriginal name for the Lyrebird is wiwieringgere. The dreamtime story of the wiwieringgere can be found here (scroll down to "Lyrebird the Mimic"): http://www.janesoceania.com/australia_aboriginal_dreamtime/index1.htm
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