Bowerbirds

Bowerbirds are famous for being nature's best artists and builders. Male bowerbirds make special structures called bowers out of sticks and twigs. They decorate their bowers with colorful objects to attract females. Bowerbirds live in Australia and New Guinea. There are about 20 different kinds of bowerbirds.

Building a Bower

A bower is not a nest. It is just a show-off place to impress females. The male works for hours weaving sticks into walls or piles. Some bowers look like tiny huts, and others look like tall towers. Each type of bowerbird builds its own style of bower. They keep working on it for weeks to get it just right.

Picking Decorations

Male bowerbirds collect shiny and colorful things to put around their bowers. They find berries, flowers, feathers, stones, and even bits of plastic. Some bowerbirds only like one color, like blue or green. The satin bowerbird is famous for loving blue things. They will steal decorations from other bowerbirds if they can.

Showing Off

When a female visits, the male dances and sings near his bower. He shows off his decorations and sometimes picks them up in his beak. If the female likes the show, she will choose him to be her mate. After that, the female builds her own nest nearby and raises the chicks by herself.

Fun Facts

• Some male bowerbirds paint the walls of their bower with crushed berries.
• A bowerbird can spend years building and fixing up the same bower.
• Some bowerbirds arrange their decorations so they look bigger than they really are.

Did You Know?

Scientists think bowerbirds are among the smartest birds because they use tools and arrange their decorations by size and color.