Satin Bowerbird — printable fact sheet
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Satin Bowerbird
Ptilonorhynchus violaceus
The male satin bowerbird builds a structure that is not a nest and never will be. The bower is a stage: two parallel walls of upright sticks forming an avenue, built purely for courtship, and a female will inspect several before choosing. What he decorates it with is the arresti…
Did you know?
- Immature male Satin Bowerbirds resemble females in appearance and do not attain their vivid adult plumage until around seven years of age.
- The bower is not a nest — it is a courtship stage, and no egg is ever laid in it. He collects blue objects almost exclusively, which in modern Australia means bottle tops, straws and pen lids. He paints the bower walls with chewed plant pulp, using a wad of bark held in his beak as a brush — clear tool use. He also raids and destroys rival bowers.
What I learned
Draw the satin bowerbird
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