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Vogelcop Bowerbird and his bower

on 19th May 2010

Myron Tay a.k.a. myrontay took an eleven-day trek up Arfak Mountains in Papua New Guinea in early 2010. It was tough going, walking up and down mountains through heavy mist and rain most of the time. Besides, he had to forgo a proper bath during the entire period. But it was worth the hardship as he encountered numerous colourful birds like birds of paradise that he would otherwise never see.

His encounter with the bower of the Vogelcop Bowerbird’s (Amblyornis inornata) was another highpoint of his trip. This rather common medium-sized bowerbird has a restricted range, present in the West Papuan Highlands EBA. Throughout this range it is common and thus not globally threatened.

The bower looks like a cone-shaped hut built around a central sapling and made entirely of sticks. There is a low entrance that opens out onto a large front lawn. The lawn is cleaned of debris and carefully laid out with a large bunch of pink flowers on one side and a black pile of bracket fungi on the other. Nearer to the entrance is another smaller pile of black objects, probably pieces of bracket fungi and what not. There is an orangy piece of unidentified object in the centre of the entrance.

The bower is constructed by the male, who is reported to spend 9-10 months a year building and maintaining it. Its purpose is to attract the female. The male after mating plays no part in the brooding and raising of the chicks.

A BBC video of the courtship ritual of this bowerbird in his bower can be viewed HERE.

Image by Myron Tay.

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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