Bower construction varies slightly depending upon the species. Some bowers are constructed in the shape of "teepees" with pitched roofs, while others are elongated with no roof. In addition, some species prefer to adorn their bowers using only certain colors of flowers, beetle wings, etc., whereas others will go a step further and even paint the walls of their bowers, using mixtures of charcoal, berry juice and saliva.

The female, wooed by this display of adornment, then takes her place in the bower and the mating begins. Once the mating has ended, the male drives the female away. The male then tends to his bower, presumably readying it for the next mate (bowerbirds are polygynous), by replacing wilted flower petals and bits of leaf, while the female creates the nest and raises her brood.

Whether it's a mansion in the hills or a few beetle wings on a bed of straw, a man's home is his castle. And for bowerbirds anyway, a neat, tidy and aesthetically pleasing environment is a key factor in mating. Men: take note.

October 15, 1999

Above: Jolique ponders the location of her missing car keys...

Bibliography:

National Geographic Society, The Marvels of Animal Behavior, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., 1972.

Robinson, Julian, The Quest for Human Beauty: An Illustrated History, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, 1998.

Simon, Hilda, The Courtship of Birds, Dodd, Mead & Company, New York, 1977.

Sparks, John, The Discovery of Animal Behavior, Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1982.