A motion camera on an Australian property captured a male superb lyrebird performing atop a courtship mound — a scene made possible after land once worn down as pasture was restored to native forest.
It is a vivid reminder that animals often return when their habitat does.
What happened?
The footage appeared in a post on Reddit.
Perched on a carefully built display mound, the bird starts with its own lyrebird call and then moves into mimicry, reproducing sounds from magpies, currawongs, satin bowerbirds, black cockatoos, koels, golden whistlers, whipbirds, and more.
(Click here if the embedded video does not appear.)
According to the original poster, the property was once an overgrazed cattle farm. Over 14 years, they restored it to a native forest through tree planting, erosion control, weed management, and feral animal removal.
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"Our reward has been to see the return of a huge amount of native birds and animals, as the trees and natural plants grow back," they wrote.
"This is a male Lyre Bird, so called because of its magnificent tail. Each winter he builds a courtship mound and competes with other males by imitating the sounds of other native birds. The more diverse and accurate his repertoire, the more success he will have with the ladies. And that means the next generation is automatically selected to be the best singers as well, so the cycle continues."
Why does it matter?
The clip offers an example of what rewilding can achieve. Superb lyrebirds depend on healthy habitat, and their return suggests the land is once again capable of supporting a broader web of native life.
Restoring degraded land can help stabilize soil, improve water retention, reduce erosion, and create a safer habitat for birds, pollinators, and other animals.
Habitat restoration does not have to begin on a farm. Even smaller changes at home can make a meaningful difference. Rewilding your yard and upgrading to a natural lawn can turn ordinary outdoor spaces into places where wildlife can return — sometimes in spectacular fashion.
What are people saying?
Commenters were amazed by the bird.
"Stunning beauty," one said. "Thanks, you made my day."
"The videos of these dudes imitating construction and city noises is actually pretty sad," another added.
"What a beautiful reward for your efforts," said one more. "Thank you for working on this type of land and bringing it back to nature."
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