The golden bowerbird is a species of passerine bird in the bowerbird family Ptilonorhynchidae. It is endemic to Queensland in Australia, where it is limited to the Atherton region.
Region
Wet Tropics of Queensland, northeastern Australia
Typical Environment
Occurs in upland tropical rainforests of the Wet Tropics, centered on the Atherton Tablelands and nearby highland ranges. Prefers mature, mossy cloud forest with abundant epiphytes and fruiting trees. Often found along ridgelines and slopes with dense midstory. Uses territories that include a display site (bower) and nearby feeding trees. Its range is patchy and closely tied to cool, wet montane habitats.
Altitude Range
700–1500 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The golden bowerbird is the smallest of the bowerbirds, yet it builds one of the most elaborate bowers: a towering double “maypole” made from sticks around two saplings. Males decorate with pale lichens, green leaves, and flowers, and may maintain the same structure for years. Females alone build the nest and rear the young. Its restricted upland range makes it sensitive to climate change and habitat alterations.
Temperament
secretive and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats through dense forest
Social Behavior
Polygynous; males maintain and display at a tall maypole bower, courting multiple females. Females select mates at the bower, then build a separate nest and provide all parental care. Bowermen defend the display site vigorously and may refurbish it year-round.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Male vocalizations include harsh buzzes, rattles, and wheezy churring notes interspersed with high, tinkling phrases. Calls can sound mechanical and carry through the rainforest understory, especially near the bower.
Plumage
Male with vivid golden-yellow to orange-gold head, nape, and underparts contrasting with olive-brown back and wings; female mostly olive-brown with buffy scalloping and mottling on underparts.
Diet
Primarily eats a wide variety of rainforest fruits and berries, including figs and laurels. Supplements diet with insects and other small arthropods, especially during breeding. Will glean fruit directly from branches and occasionally take items from the ground. Foraging is opportunistic and tracks seasonal fruiting peaks.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the mid to upper canopy of mature montane rainforest, along edges, and near fruiting trees. Often feeds within its territory close to the bower and along regular routes between known food plants.
