Satin Bowerbird: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Show-offs · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. Male satin bowerbirds build a bower of sticks and fill it with blue, yellow and shiny treasures, from berries to plastic pens and straws.
2. Younger females judge mainly by the decorations. Older females care more about the male's dance.
3. A male needs seven or eight years to lose his juvenile plumage and show his glossy black-blue sheen.
4. They love fruit, including plants brought by Europeans. They spread camphor laurel, European olive and privets.
5. Satin bowerbirds live eight or nine years on average. One banded bird survived 26 years in the wild.

The quiz

1. What colour of objects do males decorate their bowers with?

• Blue, yellow and shiny (correct)
• Red and white
• Green and brown
• Only black

Blue, yellow and shiny things are their favourite decorations.

2. What do older females care about most in a male?

• His decorations
• His size
• His dance (correct)
• His song

Older females prioritize the male's dance displays.

3. How long does a male take to get his glossy black-blue plumage?

• One year
• Three years
• Seven or eight years (correct)
• Twenty years

Only after seven or eight years.

4. Which invasive plant do satin bowerbirds help spread?

• Camphor laurel (correct)
• Bamboo
• Lantana only
• Prickly pear

They disperse camphor laurel, European olive and privets.

5. How long did the longest-lived banded bird survive in the wild?

• 6 years
• 12 years
• 26 years (correct)
• 46 years

One individual survived 26 years.

More about the Satin Bowerbird

Same week

All lessons

Nature documentaries