27 September 2024
When Australia’s Bowen Mountain posted a excellent lyrebird video on Fb it prompted me to look into what this fowl is as much as.
Male excellent lyrebirds (Menura novaehollandiae) are unbelievable mimics who sing and shake their tail feathers to draw a feminine. Their elaborate tails usually stream out behind them, proven above, however through the courtship season in June to August the male throws his tail over his head like an umbrella and sings his coronary heart out.
If the male’s music is agreeable a feminine will present as much as watch.
She doesn’t search for nurturing traits within the male, simply nice strikes and an amazing music. Nest constructing and parental care are utterly her duty.
The feminine lays one egg that takes 50 days to hatch and cares for her younger till they’re impartial 8-9 months after they fledge. The younger received’t be able to breed till the females are 5-6 years previous and the males are 6-8 years previous.
With such lengthy waits for all the pieces from hatching to maturity, excellent lyebirds reside a very long time if they will escape predation. Birds of the World experiences that the oldest identifiable particular person was 25–26 years previous.
Fifteen years in the past David Attenborough filmed a tremendous lyrebird singing like a chainsaw. Contemplating the longevity of lyrebirds, this one would possibly nonetheless be alive and courting in the present day.
