REGENT BOWERBIRD

 THE REGENT BOWERBIRD (Sericulus chrysocephalus) is not only incredibly beautiful and intelligent, but the species has given rise to one of the rarest birds in Australia – a hybrid of the regent and satin species, which has only ever been photographed twice.

bowerbird, any of approximately 20 bird species that constitute the family Ptilonorhynchidae of the order Passeriformes. Bowerbirds are birds of Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands that build more or less elaborate structures on the ground. Some are called catbirds, gardeners, and stagemakers. The male builds the bower, and he displays and sings loudly in or above it; females visit him there and lay their eggs in simple nests some distance away. The bowers, beset with all kinds of shiny and coloured objects, are of three kinds:

                                                 

Endemic to Australia, the regent bowerbird is found throughout the rainforests and leafy coasts of eastern Australia, all the way up in central Queensland, and down into New South Wales.

They display striking sexual dimorphism – the males, as seen above, are covered in silky black plumage, with glossy golden feathers on the ends of their wings, and pouring down over their heads like a thick, molten crown. The females, of course, are a dull, speckledy olive colour.

Bower construction and tool use

During the breeding season, a male will spend approximately three percent of his day constructing and maintaining his bower, built from an array of sticks maneuvered into a short, roofless corridor shape. This is obviously a very small portion of his day, and much less significant than the time other bowerbird species spend on theirs, most likely because the regent bowerbird male likes to begin his courtship routine up in the canopy.

The “mat,” or “platform,” type consists of a thick pad of plant material, ringed or hung about with objects, made by Archbold’s bowerbird (Archboldia papuensis). The stagemaker, or tooth-billed catbird (Scenopoeetes dentirostris), of forests of northeastern Australia, arranges leaves silvery-side up (withered ones are carried aside) to form a “circus ring.”

                                           

The “maypole” type consists of a tower of twigs erected around one or more saplings in a cleared court. The golden bowerbird (Prionodura newtoniana) makes a rooflike bridge from tower to tower. Male gardeners, any of the four species of the genus Amblyornis, plant a lawn of tree moss around the maypole and embellish it with flowers, berries, and other objects. The brown, or crestless, gardener (A. inornatus), lacking the orangish crown of the other species, makes the fanciest garden and a hut big enough to resemble a child’s playhouse.

The “avenue” type consists of two close-set parallel walls of sticks, interwoven and sometimes overarching, on a circular mat of twigs. Avenues are made by the satin bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus); the regent bowerbird (Sericulus chrysocephalus) and its relatives; and the spotted bowerbird (Chlamydera maculata) and its relatives. Satin and regent bowerbirds make a paint of vegetable pulp, charcoal, and saliva and apply it to the interior walls; a daub of green leaves may be used—a rare instance of a bird using a tool.