Superb Lyrebirds (young males)
Menura novaehollandiae
-37.8795, 145.381
Field Notes
Description:
Most of us have seen beautiful shots of these wonderful dark greyish brown pheasant sized birds with long lyre-like tails but I've never seen them high up on trees. There were three of them all very active and chatty. <br> The long lyrates (S shaped tail outer tail feathers) were a beautiful orange. <br> Each lyrate ended in black coloured feather whcih added to the drama. They would frequently put the two lyrates together and wiggle them snake-like in the air. <br> Wings were rounded and softer looking than most birds. These are said to help them glide down from trees but not as efficient for flying.
Habitat:
Observed cackling amongst trees and undergrowth on the ground and then up on the trees - Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenong Ranges <br> (map location deliberatelyapproximated)
Notes:
These birds are said to roost on trees at night and come down to ground during the day to forage for insects, other invetebrates and fungi. The sides of tracks and undergrowth in most of the area that these birds were seen in had been turned over by lyrebirds.
The photos are not clear as they were against a bright evening sky but this is to document a wonderful moment when three, possibly juveniles, were seen having an enjoyable time up on tree-tops. <br> One of these birds was photographed by Reiner Richter just a few days before my visit to the area- feast your eyes on this ! <br>
https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations/46705998
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