The tooth-billed bowerbird, also known as the stagemaker bowerbird or tooth-billed catbird, is a species of passerine bird in the bowerbird family Ptilonorhynchidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Scenopoeetes. It is found in the Cape York Peninsula and northeast Queensland of northeast Australia.
Region
Wet Tropics of Queensland, Northeast Australia
Typical Environment
Inhabits tropical rainforests, especially upland and mid-elevation vine forests and dense gullies. Occurs in mature forest with a shaded, leaf-littered understory suitable for its display courts. Uses forest edges, tracks, and natural clearings for staging areas but retreats to dense cover when disturbed. It is largely sedentary within its rainforest range, moving locally to track fruiting trees.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the stagemaker bowerbird, males clear a display court on the forest floor and carefully flip leaves to show their pale undersides, creating a striking ‘stage’ rather than a traditional bower. Its bill has fine serrations (“teeth”) that help clip foliage and handle tough fruits. Males are renowned for persistent, far-carrying songs that often include mimicry of other birds.
The display-court
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats through dense forest
Social Behavior
Males maintain and defend leaf ‘stages’ on the forest floor where they display to visiting females, often tidying and flipping leaves to enhance contrast. Courtship is polygynous; females alone build a cup nest and rear the young. Birds are generally secretive outside the breeding season but become conspicuous by voice when males are displaying.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Loud, far-carrying, and somewhat metallic phrases delivered persistently from perches above the display court. Includes varied whistles, grating notes, and frequent mimicry of other rainforest birds.
