Our Satin Bowerbirds here at the Cairns Wildlife Dome are desperately trying to impress the ladies. They have been building spectacular nests and putting on a great display for the females, who unfortunately don’t exist!

We have experienced great difficulty in finding a female to come and join the males at the Dome. For the last 3 weeks the male Bowerbirds have been collecting sticks and other objects for their nests. Unfortunately our very cute bettongs find these nests quite amusing and steal their sticks or trample the nests. So the Bowerbirds, determined not to give up, start the process all over again.

Collecting a variety of dead twigs from around the Dome, they have been making a twig layer on the ground of around 5-7cm deep, and then creating an arch on top which stands around 35cm high, 45cm long. In the wild they would also include grasses and leaves in this structure. The nest is then put on display with a variety of blue objects; everything from feathers, flowers, glass, plastic etc.

These nests aren’t the only thing being on display, as the male also had his turn to display himself. He seizes objects in his bill, adopts a trance-like pose, hangs his head low, then the eyes suffuse lilac pink and he leaps sideways, flares his wings / tail, and utters wheezing and whirring notes. In the wild, the females would be attracted to this display and they will then mate.

The breeding of these birds usually occurs from September through to January. On average, the female will lay 2 eggs but can have between 1-3 eggs. The female is very different in appearance to the male. The Male Bowerbird has a blush-black plumage with blue-black eyes. The females have an olive/green coloration with an olive grey-green throat and belly. The immature Bowerbird is born looking like the female. The females keep their color throughout their life, while the males keep their “green” feathers only until 6-7 years of age. After this their blue-black plumage appears in place of the green.

Throughout the winter months this bird’s competitive behavior comes to a halt, with the birds following the seasonal changes. The flocks mostly consist of “green” birds. Although our birds aren’t flocking in winter and unfortunately don’t yet have a female to impress, they will at least have gained plenty of experience for the females who will hopefully come one day to the Dome. In the meantime we can all enjoy the fantastic display these birds put on.