Lyrebird
[2] They are most notable for their impressive ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment, and the striking beauty of the male bird's huge tail when it is fanned out in courtship display.Based on specimens sent from New South Wales to England, Major-General Thomas Davies illustrated and described this species as the superb lyrebird, which he called Menura superba, in an 1800 presentation to the Linnean Society of London, but this work was not published until 1802;[3][4] in the intervening time period, however, the species was described and named Menura novaehollandiae by John Latham in 1801, and this is the accepted name by virtue of nomenclatural priority.The genus name Menura refers to the pattern of repeated transparent crescents (or "lunules") on the superb lyrebird's outer tail-feathers, from the Ancient Greek words μήνη mēnē "moon" and ουρά ourá "tail".When lyrebirds detect potential danger, they pause and scan the surroundings, sound an alarm, and either flee the area on foot, or seek cover and freeze.Less commonly taken prey includes stick insects, bugs, amphipods, lizards, frogs and occasionally, seeds.[7] Lyrebirds have been recorded mimicking human sounds[19] such as a mill whistle, a cross-cut saw, chainsaws, car engines and car alarms, fire alarms, rifle-shots, camera shutters, dogs barking, crying babies, music, mobile phone ring tones, and even the human voice.Superb lyrebird females are silent during courtship; however, they regularly produce sophisticated vocal displays during foraging and nest defense.One researcher, Sydney Curtis, has recorded flute-like lyrebird calls in the vicinity of the New England National Park.After much detective work by Fenton, it was discovered that in the 1930s, a flute player living on a farm adjoining the park used to play tunes near his pet lyrebird.One witness suggested that the song represents a modified version of two popular tunes in the 1930s: "The Keel Row" and "Mosquito's Dance".Concern has since grown as early analyses have shown the extent of destruction of the lyrebird's preferred wet-forest habitats, which in less intense previous bushfire seasons have been spared, in large part due to their moisture content.[7] The lyrebird is so called because the male bird has a spectacular tail, consisting of 16 highly modified feathers (two long slender lyrates at the centre of the plume, two broader medians on the outside edges and twelve filamentaries arrayed between them), which was originally thought to resemble a lyre.
Lyrebird (film)Early MioceneSuperb lyrebirdScientific classificationEukaryotaAnimaliaChordataPasseriformesLessonLathamType speciesMenura novaehollandiaeMenura albertiMenura tyawanoidesspeciesAustralianfamilyThomas DaviesNew South WalesLinnean Society of Londonnomenclatural priorityAncient GreekGalliformespartridgejunglefowlpheasantsaltricialAtrichornithidaebowerbirdsAustralian MuseumMiocenefossilsRiversleighAboriginal languages LC Prince AlbertQueen VictoriapasserineVictoriaQueenslandTasmaniaDandenong Ranges National ParkKinglake National ParkMelbourneRoyal National ParkIllawarraSouthern Queenslandrainforestbushfiresinsectscockroachesbeetlesearwigscentipedesspidersearthwormsamphipodslizardscourtship displayincubatedkoalasdingoeschainsawscar enginescar alarmsfire alarmscamerasound effectsurban legendNational Film and Sound ArchiveSounds of AustraliaNew England National ParkNorman Robinson2019–2020 Australian bushfire seasonvulnerablenear threatenedhabitat destructionJohn GouldBritish MuseumfeathersEnglandtaxidermistpeacockreverseAustralian 10-cent coinAustralian 100 dollar noteAustralian Film CommissionNew South Wales National Parks and Wildlife ServiceVictorian State TheatreQueensland Conservatorium of MusicGriffith UniversityYou Am IDilettantesErasmusAlpha Chi OmegaStrzelecki RangesGippslandThe Betoota AdvocateThe DisplayGill, FrankRasmussen, PamelaChisholm, HughEncyclopædia BritannicaReed, A.W.Parish, SteveYouTubeReilly, P. N.BirdLife InternationalWikisource1911 Encyclopædia BritannicaWikidataWikispeciesiNaturalistOpen Tree of LifePaleobiology Database