Ecosystem Engineers

Hey kids, welcome back to our series on the mysteries of created kinds.

We’ve taken some time off as the inspector had some very important other cases to take care of, but we are back on what should be a regular basis. Does anyone remember the clue we gave you last time? If not, see if you can guess what kind we are talking about.

Your clue last time was: The two species of this kind are known for being able to mimic many sounds, including man-made ones, but they are not parrots.

Done? Okay, good—keep that guess in mind.

This week we’re looking at an Australian bird kind. They are found in southeast Australia in several Australian states. They are ecosystem engineers, being involved in soil and leaf-litter turnover, allowing for more seed germination.1 They forage widely throughout their range, capturing insects in the earth and leaf litter.2 They are exceptionally vocally talented, able to mimic most sounds that they hear and add or forget new sounds as needed.3 They can mimic other species so well that their songs can convince members of the mimicked species that the lyrebird is one of their own!4

When the time comes to mate, the males go all out. They build platforms of fallen sticks and vines where they dance to attract female attention.5 Males do no parental care, leaving it all to the females. And the females are competitive. They will happily destroy the nests of other nearby females!6 Nests are built in thick canopies of trees, high off the ground.7

Have you figured out what kind we’re talking about yet? Why, of course, it’s the lyrebird kind! These birds get their name from their haunting songs. There are only two species and neither are endangered, but they do reproduce relatively slowly, so they could be vulnerable long-term.

Try out this fun word search!

Stay tuned for next week, though we needn’t go far. Our next kind is right here in Australia and nearby island nations.

Clue

Your clue for the week is:

This small colorful songbird kind has about 32 species in six genera, and it has a special song it uses when attacked or chased by predators.

Footnotes

1. A. C. Maisey, A. Haslem, S. W. J. Leonard, and A. F. Bennett. “Differential Effects of Ecosystem Engineering by the Superb Lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae and Herbivory by Large Mammals on Floristic Regeneration and Structure in Wet Eucalypt Forests.” Ecology and Evolution 12, no. 6 (2022), https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ece3.8956.
2. A. Lill., A. “Foraging Bbehavioural Eecology of the Ssuperb Llyrebird.” Corella 20, no. 3 (1996): 77–-97, https://absa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/C203077.pdf.
3. F. N. Robinson and H. S. Curtis. “The Vocal Displays of the Lyrebirds (Menuridae).” Emu 96, no. 4 (1996): 258–275, https://www.publish.csiro.au/mu/mu9960258.
4. A. H. Dalziell and R. D. Magrath. “Fooling the Experts: Accurate Vocal Mimicry in the Song of the Superb Lyrebird, Menura novaehollandiae. Animal Behaviour 83, no. 6 (2012): 1401–1410, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256655009_Fooling_the_experts_Accurate_vocal_mimicry_in_the_song_of_the_superb_lyrebird_Menura_novaehollandiae.
5. F. Backhouse, H. Mirando, T. Herwood, K. J. Odom, A. H. Dalziell, and J. A. Welbergen. “Display Court Ecology in Male Albert’s Lyrebirds.” Emu (2024), https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01584197.2024.2400931.
6. V. I. Austin, J. A. Welbergen, A. C. Maisey, M. G. Lindsay, and A. H. Dalziell. “Destruction of a Conspecific Nest by a Female Superb Lyrebird: Evidence for Reproductive Suppression in a Bird with Female-Only Parental Care.” Behaviour 156, no. 15 (2019): 1459–1469, https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10186229.
7. E. J. Hughes, V. I. Austin, F. Backhouse, A. C. Maisey, K. A. Lopez, C. S. Mikles, K. J. Odom, J. A. Welbergen, and A. H. Dalziell. “Preferred Nesting Habitat of the Slow-Breeding Superb Lyrebird is Rare and Was Disproportionately Impacted by Australia’s ‘Black Summer’ Megafires (2019–2020) Within a World Heritage Area.” Ornithological Applications 125, no. 4 (2023): 1–13, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372311163_Preferred_nesting_habitat_of_the_slow-breeding_Superb_Lyrebird_is_rare_and_was_disproportionately_impacted_by_Australia's_Black_Summer_megafires_2019-2020_within_a_World_Heritage_Area.