The satin bowerbird is a medium-sized songbird of eastern Australia, famous for the male’s decorated bower. Its courtship displays are among the most complex in the bird world.
Interesting facts
- Males paint the inside walls of their bower with chewed plant material, sometimes using a wad of bark as a brush.
- Adult males are glossy blue-black with violet-blue eyes.
- Young males are green and take about seven years to get their adult plumage.
- Males steal decorations from rivals’ bowers.
- They are skilled mimics of other birds.
- Females build nests and raise chicks entirely on their own.
Behaviour
Males spend much of the breeding season maintaining their bowers and displaying to visiting females with dances, calls and decorations. Outside the breeding season, bowerbirds form flocks.
Breeding and young
After mating, the female builds a cup nest in a tree and lays one to three eggs, raising the young alone.
Threats and conservation
The species is common. It sometimes swallows harmful plastic items collected as decorations.
Where to see it
- Lamington National Park (O’Reilly’s), Queensland
- Royal National Park, New South Wales
- Blue Mountains, New South Wales
- Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Status source: IUCN Red List. Profile last reviewed September 2026.
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