I love bowerbirds! During my degree course, I heard of their habit of collecting found items and arranging them in a pleasing
display. I’ve felt an affinity with these amazing birds since then – long before my son met his Australian partner or I’d ever thought of visiting Australia.
There are about 20 species of bowerbird in Australasia. The male builds a bower of twigs and decorates it to attract a mate. Each species has its own decorating style and preferred colour – the Satin Bowerbird collects only blue items. At one time these would have been natural objects like flowers and feathers but now usually items of discarded blue plastic such as bottle tops. Items are carefully placed and moved around to create the perfect arrangement, just as I do in my own work.
I visited Australia in October 2024 thinking how exciting it would be to see a Satin Bowerbird in the wild.
I did – and it was an absolute joy! But it was not as I expected…
I had imagined we might randomly stumble on a bower in a eucalyptus forest somewhere. Now I realise that would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
The Satin Bowerbird is fairly common in NSW and often builds in a garden or other public space.
A tip-off from a local birdwatcher enabled me to visit two active bowers to observe the male bird at work (from a distance with binoculars.)
The male spends hours carefully arranging his collection, with each object in a
specific place. No two bowers are the same – the collection of objects reflects the personal taste of each bird. Birds steal items from neighbouring bowers. If an
object is moved while the bird is away, he will put it back in its place.
At mating time, females go from bower to bower, to inspect the quality. Many
females select the same male, and under-performing males are left without a mate.
Bowerbirds are bigger than a blackbird and smaller than a
pigeon. The male is a glossy blue/black. The female has olive green upper feathers and a speckled breast. Both male and
female have a startling blue eye.
Photos: John & Jane Perkins
Jane Perkins 