Great bowerbird

The great bowerbird 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 and Townsville. Favoured habitat is a broad range of forest and woodland, and the margins of vine forests, monsoon forest, and mangrove swamps.

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Distribution

Region

Northern Australia

Typical Environment

Occurs from the Kimberley region near Broome across the Top End to Cape York Peninsula, extending south to around Mount Isa and Townsville. Favours open forest and woodland, riparian corridors, and edges of vine thickets and monsoon forest. It also uses mangrove margins and coastal scrub. The species readily occupies parks, gardens, and pastoral lands where scattered trees and shrubs provide foraging and display sites.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 600 m

Climate Zone

Tropical

Characteristics

Size33–38 cm

Wing Span45–55 cm

Male Weight0.23 kg

Female Weight0.18 kg

Life Expectancy10 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

Males build impressive avenue bowers of sticks and decorate them with shells, bones, stones, and human-made objects, often arranging items by size to create a forced-perspective illusion. They are excellent mimics, incorporating calls of other birds and environmental sounds into their displays. This species adapts well to human-modified areas and may nest or display in suburban gardens in northern Australia.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

wary but adaptable; males territorial near bowers

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats; low, direct flights between trees

Social Behavior

Males are polygynous and maintain individual avenue bowers used solely for courtship display, not nesting. Females visit bowers to choose mates, then build a cup nest in dense foliage and rear the young alone. Outside breeding, birds are often seen singly or in loose groups, especially at food sources.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

A varied mix of harsh churring notes, whistles, and clicks, often delivered from near the bower. Skilled mimicry of other bird species and environmental sounds is common during displays.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

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