There are many spectacular members of the bowerbird family, but the largest is the Great Bowerbird (Chlamydera nuchalis). This rather inconspicuous bird, aside from the male’s small but electrifyingly-pink crest, grows from somewhere between 33 and 38 cm long. It only makes sense that the biggest species of bowerbird should produce the largest bower as well. Males construct a twin-tower avenue type bower that’s approximately 1 meter long and 45 cm high to attract and then woo a female.
To make the bower look particularly enticing, the male decorates the surrounding area with white and green objects – stones, bones, shells, leaves, and small man-made plastic items like bottle caps. These birds had better put out their best work too, for only the males with the best bowers can attract a mate.
To get an idea of how to successfully construct a winning bower, younger males attend a single bower at the same time and practice their building skills before actually constructing a bower of their own.
May the best bower builder win!
