Animal Profiles
Birds

Lyrebird

Menuridae

Living

Living individuals or members of this group exist today. This does not mean they are safe from extinction.

Lyrebirds are Australian forest birds famed for complex songs. This account describes the superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae), a ground forager whose male uses an ornate tail during courtship.

Menura novaehollandiae (lyrebird)

Representative species: Menura novaehollandiae.

John Manger, CSIRO · CC BY

At a glance

Habitat
Temperate forest, Rainforest
Diet
Insectivore
Food
Insects, spiders and worms.

Classification

Common name
Lyrebird
Browse group
Birds
Scientific name or taxon
Menuridae
Taxon rank
family
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Menuridae
Source classification
Aves

Taxonomy checked against GBIF. For breeds and hybrids, this describes the listed parent taxon.

Three things to know

  • It finds prey by scratching leaf litter.
  • Its song incorporates learned sounds.
  • Females care for the young alone.

Habitat and range

Superb lyrebirds inhabit moist forests of southeastern Australia and Tasmania. They spend much of the day on the forest floor but roost in trees at night.

Appearance and adaptations

The brown body resembles a large ground bird. Adult males have specialised curved and filamentous tail feathers; females and younger males lack the full display tail.

Diet and behaviour

Insects, spiders and worms are uncovered by scratching through leaf litter. Males combine learned sounds with their own calls during elaborate displays. Females build nests and care for the young without male assistance.

Sources

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