lyre bird


jts

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Around my house I feed the local species: doves, black birds, grackles, blue jays, finches, sparrows, orioles, cardinals, etc. I have two species of woodpeckers that are resident and twice I have seen the two foot (or more,) tall southern woodpecker that is not supposed to exist north of Tennessee. It would remind you of a giant Woody the Woodpecker. Twice I have seen a Kite which is one of the oddest looking birds when its wings are folded. It is impossibly tall and slender. Both times the Kite was on the ground holding onto its prey.

That chain saw imitation from the video was impressive. One or more mockingbirds nest around my house. They can do an impressive imitation of a cat and their secondary local name is “catbird.”

I have a suet feeder near my window and in April I will put out my six hummingbird feeders. Never increase the ratios of 75 percent water, 25 percent sugar. I put red food dye in the mix though the experts say that is unnecessary.

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Jules Troy wrote, “We feed our birds as well! I have had sharp shinned hawks "visiting" for a snack as well.”

If I throw a cooked chicken carcass and bones “down the ditch bank” or if an animal dies on my property we will have buzzards show up for the feast. In 35 years, just twice I have seen, immediately after dark, buzzards eating wet cat food on a small patio extending out from my shed. There is a pole close by with a light on top which makes the food visible to them, and them to me. You may know a few birds have a sense of smell with buzzards being the “smelliest.”

A few times they nest near me and their fledglings drop down from the nest near overgrown areas on my ditch. The parents will come down to slowly soar within 5 feet and observe me if I am near their baby. One person I know said he was vomited on twice in his life after approaching a baby buzzard in the bush. Yuck.

Every few years a hawk will leave its baby on my property which will also drops from its nest. The parents will bring prey and feed it on the ground but the baby hawks are also stalking insects. I called a local wild life agency to ask if my observation was correct, and he said, sure hawks eat insects, but don’t get too close and watch out for their talons! I took a can of dog food out to one youngster and it pecked at the food but did not eat much. The young birds are quite fearless, and screech their presence out every couple of minutes.

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Fascinating...

The Lyrebird has been around for millions of years, fossils having been found dated to 15 million years ago. This wonderful Australian bird can be found in rain forest habitats in Victoria and New South Wales. It was also brought to Tasmania in the 19th century. There are two different species of Lyrebirds: the Superb Lyrebird and Albert's Lyrebird. The male Superb Lyrebird is the third largest songbird with a length of 80 to 98 centimeters, (31.5 38.5 inches). The female is slightly smaller with a body measuring 74 to 84 centimeters, (29 to 33

inches). Albert's Lyrebird is a little bit smaller and can be found in Southern Queensland. This bird was given it's name in honor of Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert.

Wow, Prince Albert, now the Rainbow Coalition has a national bird also!

Both female and male birds look alike with their brown body, lighter underside and a reddish neck. The major difference between both is the two long feathers that the male Lyrebird has on his tail which he develops after he is two years old. His tail consists of 16 feathers with two the two long outer feathers being broader to frame the tail. The Lyrebird's mating ritual is actually very impressive. The male bird starts by building a mound of dirt usually measuring about 90 centimeters, (35.5 inches), wide and 15 centimeters, (6 inches), high that he will use as his stage to show himself off to the females in the area. In his territory he will normally have 10 to 15 mounds which he will visit in turn. He will then fan his tail over his back and head. It is in this pose that his tail resembles the musical instrument the lyre, which is how the Lyrebird got its name.

After mating, the female will build herself a nest low to the ground,(since Lyrebirds are very awkward flyers), and will lay one egg. She will work alone to sit on it for 50 days before it hatches and then to take care of her baby until it leaves the nest after 6 to 10 weeks.

The Lyrebird's diet consists of small insect, spiders, worms and will sometimes eat some seeds that will will find in the ground with the help of their strong claws.

The Lyrebird bird is the world's best impersonator. It can mimic the sound and songs of other birds perfectly but its talent does not stop there. It is also known to have imitated sounds of chainsaws, dogs barking, babies crying, musical instruments and explosions.

Did you know: The Lyrebird's beautiful tail can be found on the reverse of the 10 cent Australian coin.

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