bowerbird

bow·er·bird

B0427300 (bou′ər-bûrd′)n. Any of various birds of the family Ptilonorhynchidae of Australia and New Guinea, the males of which build large elaborate structures of grasses, twigs, and brightly colored materials to attract females.

bowerbird

(ˈbaʊəˌbɜːd) n1. (Animals) any of various songbirds of the family Ptilonorhynchidae, of Australia and New Guinea. The males build bower-like display grounds in the breeding season to attract the females2. informal chiefly Austral a person who collects miscellaneous objects

bow•er•bird

(ˈbaʊ ərˌbɜrd)

n. any of various songbirds of the Australian and Papuan family Ptilonorhynchidae, the males of which build bowerlike structures decorated to attract the female. [1840–1850]

Thesaurus

Noun

bowerbird - any of various birds of the Australian region whose males build ornamented structures resembling bowers in order to attract femalescatbirdoscine, oscine bird - passerine bird having specialized vocal apparatusfamily Ptilonorhynchidae, Ptilonorhynchidae - bowerbirdsPtilonorhynchus violaceus, satin bird, satin bowerbird - of southeast Australia; male is glossy violet blue; female is light grey-greenChlamydera nuchalis, great bowerbird - large bowerbird of northern Australia

bowerbird

bowerbird,

common name for any of several species of birds of the family Ptilonorhynchidae, native to Australia and New Guinea, which build, for courtship display, a bower of sticks or grasses. Usually the males construct the bowers, some of which are large (up to 9 ft/275 cm high), while others are like small cabins or runways. The crestless gardener bowerbird, Amblyornis inornatus, makes a lawn around its bower. Colored stones, shells, feathers, flowers, and other bright objects, which are replaced when they become withered or worn, are used to decorate the lawns and the bowers. The satin bowerbird, Ptilonorhyncus violaceus, prefers blue decorative articles. The bower is constructed by the male in his effort to attract a female and probably has no other function than for the courtship performance. After mating has taken place in the bower, a nest is built by the female away from the bower, and there the clutch of two eggs is laid. The birds are crowlike and lack the showy plumage of the related bird of paradise. The bowers may be high pyramids, such as those built by the five species of maypole builder bowerbirds, or lower, more intricate, and painted with blue and green paints made of saliva and pigments, such as those built by the satin bowerbird and regent bowerbird (Sericulus chrysocephalus). The great gray bowerbird (genus Chlamydera) of Australia is the largest member of the family, being 15 in. (37.5 cm) long. Bowerbirds do not have very pleasant calls, but they are good mimics; sometimes other species' songs are included in their repertoires. Bowerbirds are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, family Ptilonorhynchidae.

bowerbird

any of various songbirds of the family Ptilonorhynchidae, of Australia and New Guinea. The males build bower-like display grounds in the breeding season to attract the females

See bowerbird

bowerbird

noun

Synonyms for bowerbird

noun any of various birds of the Australian region whose males build ornamented structures resembling bowers in order to attract females

Synonyms

catbird

Related Words

oscine
oscine bird
family Ptilonorhynchidae
Ptilonorhynchidae
Ptilonorhynchus violaceus
satin bird
satin bowerbird
Chlamydera nuchalis
great bowerbird