Great Bowerbird

1. Male’s pinkish-mauve crest on the nape, raised during display

2. White scalloping across brownish-grey back and wings

3. Large, robust buildthe biggest of all Australian bowerbirds

These omnivores feed on a variety of fruits (especially figs), flowers, nectar, seeds, green plant material, and insects. Males build and maintain large avenue bowers (twin-walled stick structures about a metre long) decorated with white and green objects such as stones, bones, shells, leaves, and man-made items like plastic and bottle caps. Males display at their bowers from May to December to attract multiple females, who then nest and raise young alone. Females lay one or two eggs per clutch and incubate and feed the chicks without help from the male. Young males may attend established bowers to practice building before establishing their own.

Great Bowerbirds inhabit tropical savannah woodlands, riverine forests, mangroves, and even suburban parks and gardens, especially near water. They are common and conspicuous in the Top End, including around Darwin, and throughout northern Australia. Early morning is the best time to observe males at their bowers, which are often built under shrubs or low trees.