Great Bowerbird

Great Bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis) have highly evolved, complex courtship behaviour that involves the building and decoration of bowers. Males design and construct these elaborate structures to court females. The bowers are open or over-arching avenues of twigs and grass, aligned north-south. The floor and entrances are decorated with pale-coloured ornaments such as shells, bones, stones, glass and fruit. The walls of the bower may be painted with a mixture of saliva and plant material. Mating takes place in the bower. Females build a separate nest and rear the young on their own.