Bowerbirds
(Family Ptilonorhynchidae)
There are eight endemic species in Australia, with a further two also found in New Guinea. In all bower-building species, the male constructs, decorates and maintains the bower, which he uses to attract females for mating. The bower is wrongly referred to by most people as a nest. The nest, in most species, is a loose construction of twigs built by the female. Four basic types of bowers have been described for the different groups: the ‘court’, the ‘mat’, the ‘avenue’, and the ‘maypole’.
