Desert Lyrebird

"You goin' through the Desert its best to get your signals worked out beforehand. You need to switch to visual signals, like flags or banners. You keep up your regular calls and lyrebirds will pick 'em up eventually. That's why I never travel the desert with bards or minstrels, at least not since Mad-eye Milton decided it would be funny to play 'Wild Rover' till the birds picked it up." - Jasper Cameron, Leader of the Bronze Ravens

Basic Information

Anatomy

Like many passerine birds their feet are designed for perching, although this is exaggerated in the desert lyrebird, with thick pads on the bottom of their bony feet allowing them to perch on cacti throughout the desert. Other features include:

• Hollow Bones
• Wings (while capable of true flight, gliding on desert thermals is preferred
• Beak (capable of crushing bone)

Genetics and Reproduction

Yearly breeding season of all adults without a juvenile or hatchling in autumn every year.  Eggs are generally laid in clutches of 2-3.

Growth Rate & Stages

• Egg - 3 months
• Hatchling - 1 year (not capable of flight, fed by parents)
• Juvenile - 3 years (capable of flight, lives in parents cactus ventures farther out as time progresses, not sexually mature)
• Adult

Ecology and Habitats

Most lyrebird nests can be found in and around cacti in the Myrdhor Desert, with Harpoon cacti providing the most sought after nesting sites.

Dietary Needs and Habits

While its favorite food is cactus fruit, these are rare in the Myrdhor Desert. Like many other animals in the desert, Lyrebirds can digest bone, and their main source of food is removing the corpses of the victims of the Harpoon Cactus.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Desert Lyrebirds have a large, strong beak which they have evolved to grind and crush bones.

Average Intelligence

Most lyrebirds are capable of mimicking upwards of 500 unique sounds, to include words and phrases.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

• Harpoon Cactus  Lyrebirds often nest in and around harpoon cacti, luring in prey by mimicking the calls of other animals.

Scientific Name

Menura myrdhoris

Lifespan

40 years

Average Weight

1 lb

Average Length

18 inches (45cm)

Geographic Distribution

• Myrdhor Desert