Thanks for visiting my blog! MudBay World Wonders was created as an addendum to MudBay Musings as my personal way of celebrating God's magnificent creation by posting interesting stories and facts about our complex world.


Saturday, May 1, 2010

He's Got the Blues !

Sometimes, you run across animal behavior that makes you smile. Such is the life of the male Satin Bowerbird.  He's a bit unassuming at first glance...
But he has a few tricks up his wing!  It seems this particular species of Bowerbird has a love for all things blue..  In the wild, he would normally gather blue berries and pebbles for his bachelor's bower... but times have changed.  Due to the decline of their natural habitat and recent close proximity to people, the birds have begun to collect - even steal - from trash cans, picnic grounds, and neighboring backyards.  One man's trash truly is another bird's treasure.

The Bowerbird constructs an elaborate nest, or bower, which he then adorns with items of his own choosing... items he hopes the ladies will find irresistible.  Different species of Bowerbirds decorate with items indigenous to their region and habitat, and the sizes of their bowers vary from species to species.

 This fellow sure has been working hard to collect his impressive blue treasure trove...

Perhaps he chose blue to match her striking blue eyes...

Whatever his reasons, she seems impressed! 

For more information about these intriguing birds, check out this wonderful video narrated by David Attenborough.

A Few Bowerbird Facts:
  • There are 17 species of Bowerbirds in Australia in New Guinea
  • Each species builds its own shape of bower and prefers a different decorating theme
  • Items found in bowers include: moss, twigs, feathers, coins, straws, key chains, bottle caps, aluminum foil, flowers, pebbles, charcoal, small toys, shells, nails, glass, rifle shells, and even a glass eye.
  • Satin Bowerbirds paint the walls of their bowers with "chewed" berries or charcoal
  • The male Bowerbird constantly rearranges his treasures, fine-tuning his masterpiece
  • Young male Bowerbirds often steal treasures from their more experienced rivals

6 comments:

  1. Pretty darned good interior designer, lol!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're so right! Come to think of it, over the years my dad has given my mom a collection of decorative cobalt glass pieces. She was impressed, too! LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I want to know who would throw out all those pretty blue buttons! At least they are put to good use! I love your posts!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a wonderful bird. I've never heard of this before....I LOVE it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks to Paula I've just discovered the amazing wonderful photos on your blog ! Treasures and miracles of life !

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am fascinated by this lovely bird!! We have a bower nest in the Otways (Vic.) and there is lots of bits of blue everywhere!. Fascinating birds!!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!