Male satin bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus) courting female on suburban street verge, bower filled with blue plastic, Australia, October 2018. By David Gallan.
Satin bowerbirds
The satin bowerbird is a bowerbird endemic to Eastern Australia. Like all bowerbirds, they show complex courtship behaviour – the males build and decorate a bower, and dance to attract females. As the males mature, they are increasingly attracted to blue items to decorate their bowers!
David commented:
“Our house was damaged in the 2018 Tathra bushfire. While we were renting in the township I noticed a male with a distinctive satin sheen calling in a tree out the front of the house or flying at low level in various direction from a single point. I was not surprised to see the bower in a bushy verge outside the front fence. Not wanting to disturb the courtship rituals the camera was left for two twenty minute periods on a small table top tripod on the edge of the bower display. A cloudy day was chosen to minimise harsh shadows and render colours with more saturation. The Australian flag amongst the collection was a surprising bonus!
An Olympus 9mm f8 body cap lens with great depth of field was used to record the courtship ritual.”