Birders
Related: About this forumMeet The Australian Bird Whose Tail Is Prettier Than A Peacock's. Hint: It's Also One Of The Most Unique Singers
By Scott Travers, Contributor. I write about the world of biology.
Jun 01, 2025, 09:30am EDT
The peacock is the bird most well-known for its radiant tail plumage. But thats not to say its the only bird with a particularly well-constructed rear end. Heres another avian species that rivals the peacock for tail plumage supremacy.
getty
Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder.
Well, if you ask this biologist to weigh in on the question of birds with the prettiest tail feathers, Id tell you to take a look at the exquisite backside of Australias superb lyrebird. Sure, its plumage may not be as big or ostentatious as the peacocks though, to be fair, ostentatiousness is an important quality as these feathers have evolved to capture the attention of potential mates. But it is every bit as intricate and well-colored.
In fact, the sheer beauty of its plumage almost caused the superb lyrebird, and its smaller cousin, the northern lyrebird, to go extinct around the turn of the 20th century, as its radiant tail feathers were highly valued in the construction of womens hats (like these). Since then, Australias population of lyrebirds has recovered and stabilized.
Theres a sad irony here: the radiant plumage of the male lyrebird evolved to increase its mating opportunities with female lyrebirds nearly led to its demise due to demand from humans who wanted to use it for more or less the same evolutionary reason. Perhaps the worst part of the story is that the lyrebird isnt alone in this regard; many species have been overhunted due to being viewed as a sought-after fashion accessory, and some went extinct because of it.
(Sidebar: Discover the surprising link between the global bird extinction crisis and the most valuable package lost aboard the Titanic.)
We can, and should, feel sad for the lyrebirds needlessly killed in pursuit of crafting a more fashionable hat, but Ill give you one scientific fact that might temper your pity. According to recent research published in Current Biology, male lyrebirds who typically have a mellifluous chirp sometimes mimic the sound of a mobbing flock of birds during courtship and copulation. This is presumably done to discourage their female target from leaving their protective company when a mating opportunity arises.
More:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/scotttravers/2025/06/01/meet-the-australian-bird-whose-tail-is-prettier-than-a-peacocks-hint-its-also-one-of-the-most-unique-singers/

SheltieLover
(69,410 posts)Ty for sharing.
Judi Lynn
(163,549 posts)

wendyb-NC
(4,303 posts)That precious bird puts on quite a show, with the movements of his tail feathers. The activation of the feathers changes his whole being. In his mating demonstration. he seems to go from everyday bird, to a living supernatural bird being, quite a dance.
I am really glad that conservation, spurred by indignation toward the senseless loss of fellow creatures and/or compassion, to realize the tragedy of losing them (by extinction caused by humans, for frivolous purposes) and has enabled this bird and other animal populations to continue.
Fascinating article.
Judi Lynn
(163,549 posts)Beings like these little guys really could provoke thought for anyone considering their actual skill and intelligence, and move them to develop real respect for other life forms.
Thank you.
Rhiannon12866
(235,757 posts)

Judi Lynn
(163,549 posts)
Dave Bowman
(5,280 posts)Judi Lynn
(163,549 posts)
Warpy
(113,508 posts)Lyrebird Mimicking Chainsaws, Cameras, Cars and Even People!
Australia also has some pretty flashy spiders, too--don't be creeped out, they're smaller than the nail on your pinkie
The music must've been chosen for sheer irony because stayin' alive is something they don't do. If the female doesn't like his looks or his dance moves, she eats him. If she does like them, he mates with her...then she eats him.
Judi Lynn
(163,549 posts)Without a doubt these birds have driven humans and other animals completely berserk! Fascinating!
Never had a clue spiders like the ones in the video ever existed! Their information is so strange, too!
Music fit exactly. Hard to forget, considering the larger picture!
Thank you!
wolfie001
(5,222 posts)Impressive? Yes. Prettier? Not to moi.
Judi Lynn
(163,549 posts)I was a child when I was approached by one walking around in a park and it seemed taller than me when it stood a few feet away, and I was transfixed. Unbelievably beautiful. I never, ever got that image out of my mind.
It made no noise whatsoever, simply stood quietly for a long time during which I simply gawked in amazement. At some point it wandered away, I guess. It was overwhelming.
wolfie001
(5,222 posts)Hope you're doing well
groundloop
(13,025 posts)(While in Sydney last year we took a behind-the-scenes tour at Taronga Zoo, super awesome place and experience. )
Judi Lynn
(163,549 posts)Adding the screeching baby is almost unnecessary!
What a wonderful mimic he is, and a real natural wonder by all means! Gives one a lot to think about.
Thanks, a lot.
On edit:
I just went to google images to look at views of Taronga Zoo, and was stunned by the beautiful zoo! It looks amazing.
Here's the link to the google images page with tons of views. It's a place someone could easily spend so much time!
It was sobering to see the image of a wonderful koala in a photo, after knowing how destructive the Astralian fires have been on wildlife populations. Sure hope new ways of dealing with fire can be developed sooner than expected.
Link:
https://tinyurl.com/329tebrw