Bowerbirds are renowned for building elaborate structures called bowers to attract mates. These bowers are decorated with colorful objects that the male bowerbird collects from its environment. But what exactly do bowerbirds collect to decorate their bowers?
Birds, berries, blossoms and beyond
Bowerbirds collect all manner of colorful and interesting objects to decorate their bowers. These include:
- Flowers – Bowerbirds love colorful blossoms and will gather a wide variety to adorn their bowers.
- Fruits – Berries and other small fruits add a pop of color and can be used as decoration.
- Feathers – Shed feathers from other birds are collected and placed around the bower.
- Pebbles – Small stones, pebbles and shells are popular decorative items.
- Insects – Brightly colored insects like beetles and butterflies are collected when available.
- Man-made objects – Bowerbirds in urban areas may incorporate bottle caps, plastic straws and other litter into their bowers.
The specific objects collected depend on what materials are available in the bowerbird’s habitat. But the focus is always on collect colorful, interesting objects to create an eye-catching display.
Why such elaborate bowers?
So why do bowerbirds go to such lengths to construct elaborate bowers and decorate them? It all comes down to mating success.
The sole purpose of the bower is to attract a mate. The male bowerbird builds the bower to showcase his construction prowess and decorative skills to visiting females. The quality and decoration of the bower communicates a lot of information to a visiting female:
- Construction ability – A well-built bower demonstrates the male’s architectural skills.
- Creativity – The objects collected and way they are arranged shows the male’s creative flair.
- Health – A large, elaborate bower indicates the male has the strength and energy to find many decorations.
- Mental acuity – Decorating with diverse objects of different colors and shapes shows intelligence.
Females will visit multiple bowers to assess males. The most attractive bowers indicate the highest quality mates, in terms of health, foraging skills and genetic fitness. So by building an elaborate bower and decorating it with colorful objects, a male bowerbird can improve his chances of being selected as a mate.
The collecting obsession
Bowerbirds aren’t just moderately interested in collecting decorative objects for their bowers. They are obsessed with it!
Males devote huge amounts of time and effort to collecting the most attractive treasures they can find in their habitat. They will travel long distances and visit the same foraging areas over and over in search of pretty additions for their bowers.
Bowerbirds have been known to steal attractive objects from neighboring bowers. A male will damage or destroy a rival male’s bower if he can get away with pilfering an ornament he covets. Collared bowerbirds even use strategy, deliberately leaving their bowers to go on scouting missions to steal decorations.
The bowerbird collecting obsession makes sense in light of their purpose. Anything that improves the bower display could mean the difference between mating or not. So males are hyper-focused on adding beautiful and interesting objects to their bowers.
This leads to fierce competition between males to build to most decorated bower. And females clearly pay close attention to these details when deciding who to mate with.
Satin bowerbirds
One of the most well studied bowerbirds is the satin bowerbird, found in eastern Australia. Here are some interesting facts about what male satin bowerbirds collect for their bowers:
- Blue is a favorite color – They especially prize blue objects, like blue feathers, berries, plastic debris, paper and bottle tops.
- Cicada shells – The tough external skeletons of cicadas are often collected and placed around the bower.
- Bones – Small animal bones, like those from frogs, lizards and birds are popular items.
- Snail shells– Snail shells are dotted around the bower to complement the decorations.
- Flowers – Bright blooms from plants like banksias and bottlebrushes are collected in large numbers.
- Fruits – Berries from native plants like lilly pillies are repeatedly gathered over the fruiting season.
- Glass and plastic – In urban areas, broken glass, bottle caps and plastic items are incorporated.
Interestingly, satin bowerbirds adjust their collecting habits based on what materials are available. In some regions the bowers may feature mostly purple items, while blue dominates in other areas.
Satin bowerbird collecting table
| Object | Details |
|---|---|
| Feathers | Especially blue feathers, gathered after preening |
| Flowers | Any colorful blooms like banksia flowers |
| Fruits | Berries from native plants that fruit in late winter/spring |
| Insects | Bright beetles, butterflies and interesting finds |
| Bones | Small animal bones like lizards and frogs |
| Shells | Snail shells and sometimes oyster shells |
| Man-made | Plastic, glass, metal – especially blue items |
This table summarizes some of the main objects male satin bowerbirds search for when decorating their bowers.
Spotted bowerbirds
Spotted bowerbirds are another well studied species found across northern Australia. Here are some things they prioritize collecting:
- Bones – Spotted bowerbirds have a strong preference for bones to decorate their bowers.
- Pebbles – Variously shaped and colored pebbles and stones are meticulously collected.
- Shells – Small native snail shells are prized decorative items.
- Seeds – Unusual seeds, seed pods and nuts add novelty.
- Insects – Bright beetles, butterflies and caterpillars are collected when available.
- Fruits – Berries and capsules from native plants are gathered.
- Flowers – Colorful blooms are popular but harder to keep fresh.
- Feathers – Feathers from parrots and other birds are collected when shed naturally.
Spotted bowerbirds actively arrange decorations around the bower according to color, shape and size. Symmetrical patterns and gradients are created using the objects collected from the environment.
Spotted bowerbird collecting table
| Object | Details |
|---|---|
| Bones | Various small animal bones are highly prized |
| Pebbles | Smooth and colorful pebbles, stones and gravel |
| Shells | Small native land snail shells |
| Fruits | Berries, capsules and seeds from native plants |
| Flowers | Colorful blooms like grevilleas |
| Feathers | Shed feathers from parrots and other birds |
| Insects | Any colorful beetles, butterflies, caterpillars |
| Seeds | Unusual seeds, seed pods and nuts |
This table outlines some of the main objects prioritized by male spotted bowerbirds when decorating their bowers.
Great bowerbirds
The great bowerbird is native to northern Australia and parts of New Guinea. Here is an overview of what they collect:
- Bones – Small animal bones like lizards, birds and frogs.
- Snail shells – Empty shells from land snails.
- Pebbles – Gray and white pebbles are strongly favored.
- Seeds – Unusual seeds and seed pods add novelty.
- Berries – Colorful fruits from native plants.
- Flowers – Bright blooms, lichens and fungi.
- Insects – Any colorful beetles, butterflies and caterpillars.
- Feathers – Shed feathers of local bird species.
Great bowerbirds are especially selective in their color choice of pebbles. They focus on collecting gray and white pebbles to create bold visual patterns and contrasts around the bower entrance.
Great bowerbird collecting table
| Object | Details |
|---|---|
| Bones | Small animal bones like lizards and frogs |
| Pebbles | Mostly gray and white pebbles |
| Shells | Empty land snail shells |
| Seeds | Interesting seeds, pods and nuts |
| Flowers | Colorful blooms, lichens and fungi |
| Berries | Colorful fruits from native plants |
| Insects | Colorful beetles, butterflies, caterpillars |
| Feathers | Shed feathers of local bird species |
This table outlines the main objects that great bowerbirds search for when decorating their bowers.
Tooth-billed bowerbird
The tooth-billed bowerbird is found in the rainforests of Queensland, Australia. Here are some of their favored decorative items:
- Berries – Colorful native fruits like pepperberries.
- Seeds – Interesting seeds, pods and nuts.
- Flowers – Large colorful blooms like bird of paradise.
- Fungi – Bright fungi and lichens.
- Feathers – Especially brightly colored parrot feathers.
- Insects – Butterflies, caterpillars and beetles.
- Snail shells – Shells from rainforest snails.
Tooth-billed bowerbirds creatively use contrasts, arranging decorations from dark to light around the bower. Green items are rarely collected, with a preference for red, orange, yellow and blue.
Tooth-billed bowerbird collecting table
| Object | Details |
|---|---|
| Berries | Pepperberries and colorful native fruits |
| Seeds | Interesting rainforest seeds and pods |
| Flowers | Large blooms like bird of paradise flowers |
| Fungi | Colorful fungi and lichens |
| Feathers | Brightly colored parrot feathers |
| Insects | Butterflies, caterpillars, beetles |
| Shells | Shells from rainforest land snails |
This table summarizes the main objects tooth-billed bowerbirds prioritize collecting for decorating their bowers.
Conclusions
In summary, the answer to “what do bowerbirds collect?” is:
- Anything colorful, interesting and attractive they can find in their habitats!
- Specific objects depend on location, but favorites are berries, flowers, feathers, stones, shells and bones.
- Rare, novel objects like interesting seeds or unusually shaped stones have extra appeal.
- Some species strongly favor certain colors like blue or white.
- Bowerbirds obsessively collect to create the most appealing display possible.
The males’ collecting ability directly influences their mating success. So bowerbirds are highly motivated to decorate with diverse, beautiful objects to entice visiting females.
Next time you see a bowerbird collecting blue pebbles or raiding flowers, remember they are gathering materials to build an attractive love nest! The quality of his creation could determine whether his genes are passed on or not.
