Brown-back lyre-tail

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Brown-back lyre-tail
Brown-back lyre-tail

Brown-back lyre-tail

Systematics
Subclass : New-jawed birds (Neognathae)
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Family : Menuridae
Genre : Lyre tails ( menura )
Type : Brown-back lyre-tail
Scientific name
Menura alberti
Bonaparte , 1850

The brown-backed lyre-tail ( Menura alberti ) is a representative of the family of lyre-tails ( Menuridae ) about 90 centimeters tall . The weight of the individual animals is 930 grams. The back height is 35 centimeters and the wingspan about 50 centimeters.

Appearance

These birds have reddish-brown to dark brown dorsal plumage, the belly and throat are light brown, the chest is black, the neck is dark brown. The head and tail are dark gray to black. The long, strong legs are black. The male's tail consists of 12 tattered feathers, with 2 wiry central fields and 2 broad, slightly curved outer feathers, which are longer than those of the female. The short beak is black.

distribution and habitat

This species occurs in the densely overgrown areas of the mountains from a height of 300 meters above sea level. NN of southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales .

Way of life

pawing brown-backed lyre-tail

It feeds on smaller invertebrates such as worms, crabs, spiders and insects, which it digs out of the ground with its sharp claws. In doing so, they rummage through enormous amounts of earth and thereby loosen the forest floor. These animals are not good fliers, in the air they only glide or descend. They retreat to trees to sleep. Their coloring makes them well camouflaged. The males are true to location and occupy an area with a size of 2.5-3.5 hectares. The territories of the females lie within or overlap with that of the male. The female only makes noises when there is danger. Life expectancy is around 15 years.

Reproduction

They perform courtship on platforms made of branches or other climbing plants. Their movements caused the platform to vibrate. The singing is a series of short, loud tones that are introduced by lighter, soft tones and then repeated. They imitate the songs of other birds, animals and noises e.g. B. dogs , horses or motors . The tail is fanned out and thrown forward over the back so that the male almost disappears under it. This type of performance usually lasts about 30 minutes, sometimes up to an hour or more. The males do not enter into a long-term relationship with the female and do not participate in rearing. The breeding takes place in winter. The nest is a large pile of branches with a side entrance, it is laid out by the female alone. The clutch usually comprises only 1 oval, light gray to lavender brown egg with blackish brown or slate gray spots. The weight of the egg is approx. 62 grams. The breeding period is about 50 days. After approx. 47 days, the young leaves the nest for the first time. The young are fed smaller servings of invertebrates from their parents up to 138 times a day. The boy only goes its own way when it reaches sexual maturity at the age of 8 or 9 months.

discovery

This species of bird was only discovered in 1847.

Danger

This species is considered ( Near Threatened ) with a population of approx. 10,000 specimens . The reasons for this are the transformation of their habitat into human settlements, agricultural areas, logging and fire. They are also easily prey to introduced mammals. To protect the species, the Whian State Conservation Area was established in Queensland in 2003 . Studies are also ongoing on the effects of bushfires on the population density and evolution of the species.

literature

  • THE BLV Encyclopedia Birds of the World Page: 453–457 BLV Buchverlag GmbH & Co. KG Munich 2004 ISBN 3-405-16682-9
  • Encyclopedia of the Animal World Page: 169–170 birds Orbis Verlag GmbH Munich 2003 ISBN 3-572-01378-X
  • Wilhelm Eigner Encyclopedia of Animals Volume 2 Page: 355 Weltbild Verlag 1999 ISBN 3-89350-361-7

Web links

Commons : Brown-back lyerschwanz  - Collection of images, videos and audio files