Albert’s Lyrebird (Menura alberti) is smaller and more russet than the Superb Lyrebird. The Albert’s Lyrebird also has a much smaller distribution, inhabiting the rainforests straddling the New South Wales-Queensland border. There seems to be less specialization in its adaptations for display as well.
Unlike females, males scratch up earth mounds for their performances without developing lyrates or filmy plumes. Each bird creates a few small circulars, vine-crossed patches of ground in its territory, or displays from platforms made out of vines, branches, or even rocks. At its peak of breeding – in mid-winter – males sing for nearly four hours a day, each stanza lasting for more than an hour.
Some songs are performed without tail fanning, like those of the Superb Lyrebird. As the bird performs, the tail is raised up and forward over its back, then spread and lowered till it has almost cocooned the bird, its silvery fan contrasting with its russet undertail coverts. As it sings and mimics, the bird begins to prance, lifting each foot in turn and turning this way and that to make its voice heard by rival males. If a female is attracted to the mound, then it is likely to copulate with her.
There is no pair bond formed. The males and females have separate, overlapping territories, but the female builds the nest, incubates, and rears the young without assistance. As with the Superb Lyrebird, they eat insects, worms, and snails on the forest floor, and run to escape danger. They rarely fly, except at night, when they roost in the forest sub-canopy. Birds move around locally in twos and threes after breeding, causing territories to break down.
An adult male measures about 850 mm in length, including a tail of 450 mm. Females, however, measure about 750 mm in length. The male bird’s upper parts are plain deep chestnut. There is a rufous throat; the rest of the underparts are grey-buff, deepening to russet under the tail. The tail is dark brown, the central two feathers are ribbon-like and curved into one another, the two outermost, lyrate, are flat, short, and rounded, and the tail tips are filamentous, silvery, and tipped with filaments. Females lack filamentary feathers on their tails as do males. The immature bird is similar to the females.
An Albert’s Lyrebird’s call is a loud, high-pitched shriek in alarm; a loud, frog-like bronk-bronk in the territorial advertisement. Despite this, Albert’s Lyrebird sings a long, loud, rich medley in its song. There are also several curious rattling noises that it makes when mimicking other species.
Breeding and nesting take place between June and July. Nests can be constructed on rocks, cliff faces, tree ferns, stumps, or the ground using sticks, roots, and moss.
A single egg is laid by Albert’s Lyrebird, which is pale purple-brown and streaked with black; it is oblong-oval in shape and measures about 67 x 43 millimeters. The female incubates the egg for six weeks. Albert’s Lyrebirds are usually found in subtropical rainforests from Mistake Range in Queensland to Nightcap Range in New South Wales. There is no race of Albert’s Lyrebird.
Related Reading – Australian Logrunner
