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Albert's Lyrebird
(Menura alberti)
: "Albert Menura", "Prince Albert's Lyre-bird", "Northern Lyrebird"
Size: male 80-90 cm; female 70-80 cm
Weight: 0.6-1.2 kg
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Albert's Lyrebirds are the smaller of two species of Australian
lyrebirds. Their plumage
is dimorphic,
i.e. males and
females
are different.
Male Albert's
Lyrebirds have a rufous-brown back, from the head to the rump. The
front is grey-brown, except for the throat, which is rufous.
The characteristic feature is the tail, with silvery filamentary
feathers (that are dark-brown on top) on the inside and one outer
"lyre" feather on either side. The lyre feathers are dark and plain.
Female Superb Lyrebirds have a body plumage that is similar to
males',
but they have a long dark-brown tail, with feathers that curve
downward at the end. They lack both filamentous and lyre feathers.
Females
have rufous flanks and a rufous vent.
The bill of both sexes is dark-grey, the irises are dark and the feet
and long legs are grey.
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Twitcher's tip |
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Compared to Superb
Lyrebirds, the males' outer lyre feathers are darker and plainer.
The throat of Albert's Lyrebirds has a richer rufous colour than that
of Superb Lyrebirds.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Albert's
Lyrebird at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based
on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the Albert's Lyrebird is available
HERE
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Albert's Lyrebirds reside only in a small area of the Great Dividing
Range and its eastern slopes around the NSW/QLD border, from
north-eastern NSW into south-eastern QLD, where they can be found
in a semi-circular belt around Brisbane.
Albert's Lyrebirds have a strong preference for dense, wet forest (rainforest)
and its edges, where they spend most of their time in leaf litter.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
A. Ross-Taylor reports spotting Albert's Lyrebirds at O'Reilly's
Plateau, Lamington
NP, Gold Coast, QLD, in November 2013 and again in May 2014.
J. Greaves reports finding Albert's Lyrebird at the same location
in October 2015, when a sound recording was obtained.
M. Eaton reports spotting Albert's Lyrebird at Cunninghams Gap,
Main Range NP, QLD, in June 2017.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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Near-lateral view of a male Albert's Lyrebird (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD,
November 2013]
Lateral view of a male Albert's Lyrebird (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast,
QLD, November 2013]
Lateral view of a male Albert's Lyrebird (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast,
QLD, November 2013]
Lateral view of a male Albert's Lyrebird (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast,
QLD, November 2013]
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FEMALE |
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Frontal portrait of a female(?) Albert's Lyrebird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cunningham's Gap, Main Range NP, QLD, June 2017]
Near-lateral view of a female(?) Albert's Lyrebird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cunningham's Gap, Main Range NP, QLD, June 2017]
Social behaviour: Territorial |
Mobility: Sedentary |
Elementary unit: Solitary/pair |
Albert's Lyrebirds are extremely wary.
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Call(s)/Song |
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For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own; are welcome.
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.