When it comes to wooing the opposite sex, the Satin Bowerbird is a rockstar. The medium-sized males are known for building and decorating a fancy bower (a decorative structure, which they will eventually use to build a nest). If a nice home wasn’t good enough, this particular Bowerbird will dance around it to entice the female to pick him. More on the courtship behaviour in a second but first let’s learn a few other cool things about this interesting bird.
Cool Facts About The Satin Bowerbird
- If you want to catch a glimpse of the dancing bowerbird then you will need to be on a plane for Australia as these guys can only be found in the rain forests of eastern Australia,
- It is hard to believe these beautiful birds need to go through the trouble of building a fancy nest and dancing like a fool just to get the attention of an attractive female. I thought they would just use their stunning blue eyes and metallic looking feathers to entice their mate, but this doesn’t appear to be the case
- During the mating season, the Satin Bowerbird fuels their nest building and dancing by feasting on a variety of insects, however, once the winter months roll around, these birds cut the meat part out of their diet and focus solely on vegetation
Male Bowerbird Building a Nest
Courting in 3 Easy Steps
When it comes to mate selection, the female Satin Bowerbird has to be one of the pickiest animals out there. Before the lady bowerbird selects a mating partner she goes through a three step process.
- The female visits the bower before the nest is build and while the male is away
- Visits the bower again. The nests still aren’t built but the males are present and strutting this time around
- One final inspection of the bower which now has a nest and a showboating bird. This time the female will select her mate and begin the breeding process
While it seems like a lot of work just to get a date, you have to remember that the Satin Bowerbird doesn’t have the the luxury of trying online dating. Besides, this seems to work quite well, however, I am a little worried that they are just attracting shallow females only interested in a fancy bower.
