Superb Lyrebird

1. Large, grey-brown ground-dweller with reddish wings

2. Males have spectacular lyre-shaped tails with distinctive barring and delicate filaments

3. Powerful legs and feet adapted for scratching through forest litter

Superb Lyrebirds are solitary and sedentary, rarely moving far from their home range. They feed mainly on insects, spiders, worms, and occasionally seeds, using their powerful feet to dig through soil and leaf litter. Breeding occurs from June to October. Males build one or more display mounds of bare earth, where they perform elaborate singing and dancing displays, fanning their tails forward over their heads while mimicking the calls of dozens of other bird species and environmental sounds such as chainsaws and car alarms. Females build domed nests near the ground, laying a single egg and caring for the chick alone. The incubation period is about 5 days, with chicks remaining in the nest for a further 6–7 weeks. Superb Lyrebirds can live up to 2 years in the wild

Superb Lyrebirds are found in the moist forests of southeastern Australia, from southern Victoria through eastern New South Wales, with an introduced population in Tasmania. They prefer cool temperate rainforests, wet sclerophyll forests, and sheltered gullies with dense understory. These birds are most often seen on the forest floor, scratching through leaf litter for food. Dawn and dusk, especially in winter (June–August), are the best times to observe their display and hear their remarkable vocal performances.

Superb Lyrebirds have long featured in featuring in first nations dreaming stories and are known by traditional names such as Buln Buln in the Woiwurrung-Taungurung language and Wiritjiribin in D’harawal language. The lyrebird is an Australian icon, appearing on the 1-cent coin and as the emblem of the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service.