The Ultimate Guide to Bowerbirds
"A small bird with big talents"
Bowerbirds are a type of songbird native to the South Pacific region, particulary the island of New Guinea. Male bowerbirds are famed for the lengths they will go to attract a female - all 27 species of bowerbird construct elaborate and often intricate "bowers" out of sticks and other foraged materials in a bid to impress the local females.
The bowers built by male satin bowerbirds are made up of two parallel walls of sticks on the ground, decorated with bright blue objects that he has found in the local area: blue clothes pegs, drink straws and bottle tops are among the favourite stolen items, while bright blue parrot feathers, flowers and brown snail shells, make up the majority of decorations away from human habitation. It has beeen theorized that the male satin bowerbird's preference for blue objects is due to the color accentuating his jet black plumage and striking violet eyes.
Mate-searching females commonly visit multiple bowers, often returning to preferred bowers several times to rank them against the other bowers in the neighbourhood, and ultimately shortlist a set of potential mates. When females visit, males tend to engage in further courtship behaviour, such as showing off their vibrant plumage, dancing and teasing, or even serenading their visitors with a series of carefully learned sounds.
The MacGregor's bowerbird is a particularly superb vocal mimic, and has been observed imitating pigs, waterfalls, and human chatter.
Watch the video below to hear the MacGregor's bowerbird in action...
😢 Deforestation and climate change are threatening bowerbirds'
habitats. Our unique conservation program offer you the chance to
"adopt" a bird from afar and fund the work we do to protect their
habitat.
Just $5 per month can make a huge difference!