Imma Perfetto
Cosmos science journalist
The superb lyrebird is arguably Australia’s most iconic native songbird, known for its ornate tail and incredible mimicry. The species can imitate natural and mechanical sounds, resulting in a vocal repertoire that spans the calls of other birds to the cries of human babies, or the sound of a chainsaw.
But new research has found the bird has another, unexpected talent: farming.
In a new paper published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, researchers from Australia’s La Trobe University have found that lyrebirds arrange litter and soil on the forest floor in ways that promote the growth of more prey.
This ground-dwelling bird creates perfect micro-habitats for its prey – worms, centipedes, and spiders – to live and grow, compensating for the reduction in their numbers through predation.
“Lyrebirds set up the perfect home for their prey, creating conditions with more food resources and effectively fattening them up before eating them,” says Dr Alex Maisey, who led the research.
In 2020, Cosmos reported on research from the same team which found that superb lyrebirds (Menura novaehollandiae) are ecosystem engineers of the moist eucalypt forests in south-eastern Australia, where they live.
Each year, they displace 155 tonnes of soil and leaf litter per hectare on average while foraging for their invertebrate prey.
In the new study, the team wanted to know whether the lyrebirds’ foraging behaviour also has a farming effect, increasing the amount and diversity of the invertebrate communities they eat.
To do this, researchers marked small 3m by 3m plots in forest locations across the Central Highlands of Victoria. In some of these areas they fenced out lyrebirds and either left the area untouched or manually raked the leaf litter and soil to simulate foraging.
They found that the diversity and abundance of different types of invertebrates decreased over time in the undisturbed control plots but increased in the ones that were raked by humans.
While untouched plots accumulated a uniform litter layer, simulated lyrebird foraging created a patchy pattern of microhabitats – such as freshly exposed mineral soil in recently foraged patches; complex mounds of mixed and buried litter and soil; and intact leaf litter – which allows more types of invertebrates to live in their preferred niches.
The researchers conclude that lyrebird foraging actively creates conditions that favour the specific invertebrates it preys on, so that there is ongoing replenishment of its food source to compensate for the loss happening through predation.
“Lyrebirds are widespread and active across millions of hectares of forest. Their farming actions play an important role in maintaining forest biodiversity,” says Maisey.
