Satin Bowerbird Pictorial

My elusive male Satin Bowerbird, with his bower (nest) conveniently parked alongside my driveway, and his mates, have recently hit the headlines at Current Biology, Australian Geographic and Deakin University.

What’s all the fuss about? A study has revealed the male Satin Bowerbird utilises a altered visual perspective trick, coupled with the confines of his bower, to give the illusion to female Satin Bowerbirds that he’s larger than he really is. Yes, size matters, even for our feathered friends.

How does the male Satin Bowerbird create the altered visual perspective? Having constructed a bower with two walls of sticks and twigs, with a long avenue inside, places blue items that increase in size with distance from the avenue entrance in his court; an area outside the avenue where he goes through his courtship routine, a buzz-wing-flip. This entails an elaborate dance where he fluffs up his feathers, produces buzzing vocalizations and hops to and fro while the female looks on like an X Factor judge from the confines of the bower. Now for my images!

Male Satin Bowerbird  Building a nest video

Female Satin Bowerbird  Mating Behaviour Video

Female Satin Bowerbird entering the bower  Fembot Bowerbird Video

Satin Bowerbird Nest  Bowerbird thief video

Satin Bowerbird Nest – Top View  Male & Female Bowerbird video

What I have noticed with my Bowerbird is that his favourite court contains fewer blue items and is raised higher than the other, and, his blue items are all roughly the same size. Odd considering his least favourite side fits the description in the articles, with blue items increasing in size with distance from the avenue, including one piece that has the Australian flag on it. Believe it or not!

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