Fauna
Superb lyrebird
Common name: Suberb lyrebird
Scientific name: Menura novaehollandiae
Conservation status in NSW: Protected
With a complex mimicking call and an elaborate courtship dance to match, the superb lyrebird is one of the most spectacular Australian animals. A bird watching must-see, the superb lyrebird can be found in rainforests and wet woodlands across eastern NSW and Victoria.
The superb lyrebird is renowned for its amazing ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from its surroundings. This intricate mimicking call is common throughout lush rainforest and wet eucalypt woodlands in eastern NSW.
The elaborate courtship dance of the superb lyrebird is another bird watching treat. During this flamboyant display, the male superb lyrebird builds a mound of leaf litter on the forest floor and lures a female with an intricate courtship dance and spectacular display of his fanned tail.
The superb lyrebird is 1 of only 2 species of lyrebird found in Australia. Albert’s lyrebird, found on the eastern edge of the QLD/NSW border, doesn’t have the outer lyre-shaped tail feathers of the superb lyrebird, but is a similarly masterful mimic.