Bower birds are a pretty common species of bird in Australia and New Guinea, when we lived in Victoria a large number of them would come to feed from our bird feeders and drink from the birdbaths we had near the decking.
Bower birds feeding at our bird feeder in Vic
Bower birds have very pretty eyes and I did a post once on the ones that used to visit us, the colours can vary with the males being a dark purple and the females lighter colours, the eyes of both sexes are quite gorgeous to look at and I think one of their predominant features.
Bower birds are sometimes considered a pest but the most fascinating thing about them is their mating ritual and courtship routine.
The male builds what's known as a bower. Bowers are complex structures made of sticks and twigs and decorated with many objects to attract a mate.
They are somewhat like a nest however they will not raise any young here, these are simply a part of their courtship and attempt to win over potential mates.
The better looking the bower, the better quality mate they can attract, if at all.
This Bower we found near a walking trail in Broome and it is fairly large. It comes close to my knee at the top of the twigs and does look a little smaller in pictures.
The outside is decorated with various items including rocks and tek-screws. The inside seems to have colourful pebbles and rocks, likely stolen from someone's garden.
I hope this one stays where it is so I can see if he works on it more, it is close to the trail and in danger of kids, dogs or others knocking it over and destroying it which would be a shame as you can see how much work was put into it.
