todaysbird:

the great bowerbird is a common bird species throughout northern australia. like other bowerbirds, males of this species build ‘bowers’ to impress females. while commonly confused with nests, bowers are not used to raise young, and are made for the sole purpose of attracting a mate. males decorate their bowers with white and green objects, some man made like bottlecaps, in the hope of attracting attention. bower-making takes up much of the males’ life, and females raise their young independently. unlike other bowerbird species, the great bowerbirds’ males practice making a bower with other young males of their species before trying to do it themselves.

todaysbird:

the flame bowerbird is a brightly colored member of the bowerbird family found in new guinea. like other bowerbirds, the males attract a mate by building a decorative ‘bower’ out of sticks, then adding colorful objects. the flame bowerbird also does a courtship dance within the bower. males are bright orange and yellow, with some subspecies having a black mask; females are olive green with a soft yellow underside. x