Western Bowerbird
Encyclopedia
The Western Bowerbird is a species of bird
in the Bowerbird
family
. The species is a common endemic of Australia
. It has a disjunct distribution
, occurring in Central Australia
and the Pilbara region of Western Australia
. There are two subspecies, the nominate, which occupies most of its range, and P. g. cateri, which occurs only the North West Cape in Western Australia. The species was first collected
in 1861 by the explorer Francis Gregory
, who gave the specimen to John Gould
. The specific name guttata means spotted, referring to its plumage
. The species is similar to the Spotted Bowerbird
, and has often been treated as a subspecies of it.
The Western Bowerbird is smaller than the other bowerbird it shares its range with, the Great Bowerbird
. It measures between 24–28 cm in length and weighs between 120-150 g. Both sexes are similar in size and dimensions, except that the tail of the female is slightly longer. The plumage
is brown with reddish or buff spots over the throat, chest, neck, back head and wings, with a pink erectile crest on the nape. The tail is brown and the undersides are buff. The plumage of the female is similar to the male but more spotted on the throat.
The Western Bowerbird feeds on fruits, particularly those of the rock fig (Ficus platypoda
), sandalwood
, snake gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina
) and mistletoe
s. They will also enter farms to feed on cultivated fruits. Other items taken in the diet include nectar, flowers, insects such as ants, moths, beetles and grasshoppers, and spiders. They need to drink regularly and are rarely found far from water.
Like most bowerbirds the Western Bowerbird is polygamous
, with a male mating with several females over a breeding season and the female undertaking all nesting, incubation
and chick-rearing responsibilities. As is typical in the family the male constructs an elaborate bower with which to attract females. Western Bowerbird bowers are paired avenues of sticks, 20–25 cm tall, and 25-35 long placed on top of a platform of sticks. The bower is decorated with green and white objects, including berries, fruits, shells, pebbles and bones. Man-made objects may also be used for decoration, including glass, gun casings and metal objects. Each bower may be used for a number of years and when new bowers are constructed material from the older bower will be recycled. The male advertises his bower with calls, when the female arrives to inspect he will perform ritualised dances, fanning his tail, jumping and wing flicking, as well as further calling. Decorations will also be held in the bill and shaken vigorously, and the pink crest on the neck will be erected.
The female constructs the nest
, a shallow cup of small twigs nested on a larger platform of sticks, around 2–6 m up a tree or shrub, often in a clump of mistletoe
. The clutch
is usually one or two eggs, which are green to buff, glossy and covered in dark scribble patterns. The incubation period is unknown.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the Bowerbird
Bowerbird
Bowerbirds make up the bird family Ptilonorhynchidae. The family has 20 species in eight genera. These are medium-sized passerines, ranging from the Golden Bowerbird to the Great Bowerbird...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
. The species is a common endemic of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It has a disjunct distribution
Range (biology)
In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...
, occurring in Central Australia
Central Australia
Central Australia/Alice Springs Region is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory. The term Central Australia is used to describe an area centred on Alice Springs in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Centralia; likewise the people of the area are sometimes called Centralians...
and the Pilbara region of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. There are two subspecies, the nominate, which occupies most of its range, and P. g. cateri, which occurs only the North West Cape in Western Australia. The species was first collected
Bird collections
Bird collections are curated repositories of scientific specimens consisting of birds and their parts. They are a research resource for ornithology, the science of birds, and for other scientific disciplines in which information about birds is useful...
in 1861 by the explorer Francis Gregory
Francis Gregory
Francis Hoyt Gregory was an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812 through to the Civil War, serving then as a Rear Admiral.-Early life; service during the War of 1812:...
, who gave the specimen to John Gould
John Gould
John Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
. The specific name guttata means spotted, referring to its plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
. The species is similar to the Spotted Bowerbird
Spotted Bowerbird
The Spotted Bowerbird is a bowerbird widely distributed across inland Queensland and New South Wales.-Australia:...
, and has often been treated as a subspecies of it.
The Western Bowerbird is smaller than the other bowerbird it shares its range with, the Great Bowerbird
Great Bowerbird
The Great Bowerbird, Chlamydera nuchalis is a common and conspicuous resident of northern Australia, from the area around Broome across the Top End to Cape York Peninsula and as far south as Mount Isa...
. It measures between 24–28 cm in length and weighs between 120-150 g. Both sexes are similar in size and dimensions, except that the tail of the female is slightly longer. The plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
is brown with reddish or buff spots over the throat, chest, neck, back head and wings, with a pink erectile crest on the nape. The tail is brown and the undersides are buff. The plumage of the female is similar to the male but more spotted on the throat.
The Western Bowerbird feeds on fruits, particularly those of the rock fig (Ficus platypoda
Ficus platypoda
Ficus platypoda, commonly known as the desert fig or rock fig, is a fig that is endemic to central and northern Australia, and Indonesia. The fruit can be eaten when soft and ripe. Horticulturally, it is suitable for use in bonsai; its tendency to form a wide trunk base and small leaves being...
), sandalwood
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is the name of a class of fragrant woods from trees in the genus Santalum. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and unlike many other aromatic woods they retain their fragrance for decades. As well as using the harvested and cut wood in-situ, essential oils are also extracted...
, snake gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Trichosanthes cucumerina is a tropical or subtropical vine, raised for its strikingly long fruit, used as a vegetable, medicine, and, a lesser known use, crafting didgeridoos. Common names include snake gourd , serpent gourd, chichinga, and padwal...
) and mistletoe
Mistletoe
Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. The plants in question grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub.-Mistletoe in the genus Viscum:...
s. They will also enter farms to feed on cultivated fruits. Other items taken in the diet include nectar, flowers, insects such as ants, moths, beetles and grasshoppers, and spiders. They need to drink regularly and are rarely found far from water.
Like most bowerbirds the Western Bowerbird is polygamous
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
, with a male mating with several females over a breeding season and the female undertaking all nesting, incubation
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
and chick-rearing responsibilities. As is typical in the family the male constructs an elaborate bower with which to attract females. Western Bowerbird bowers are paired avenues of sticks, 20–25 cm tall, and 25-35 long placed on top of a platform of sticks. The bower is decorated with green and white objects, including berries, fruits, shells, pebbles and bones. Man-made objects may also be used for decoration, including glass, gun casings and metal objects. Each bower may be used for a number of years and when new bowers are constructed material from the older bower will be recycled. The male advertises his bower with calls, when the female arrives to inspect he will perform ritualised dances, fanning his tail, jumping and wing flicking, as well as further calling. Decorations will also be held in the bill and shaken vigorously, and the pink crest on the neck will be erected.
The female constructs the nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
, a shallow cup of small twigs nested on a larger platform of sticks, around 2–6 m up a tree or shrub, often in a clump of mistletoe
Mistletoe
Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. The plants in question grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub.-Mistletoe in the genus Viscum:...
. The clutch
Clutch (eggs)
A clutch of eggs refers to all the eggs produced by birds or reptiles, often at a single time, particularly those laid in a nest.In birds, destruction of a clutch by predators, , results in double-clutching...
is usually one or two eggs, which are green to buff, glossy and covered in dark scribble patterns. The incubation period is unknown.