Margot and I have been working on making a nest for an art proposal. She has been feeling the nest planting them across the country. I think she told me about the bower bird 8 years ago. I just saw a picture of it for the first time this year & fell in love with it not realizing until recently that it is the same bird.

“The male bower bird of New Guinea and Australia creates elaborate nests during breeding season to attract a mate. These nests serve only as areas for courtship display and are used and improved for several years. The bower bird chooses an open site among the trees, and sweeps it clear of leaves. The bird then builds the structure (bower) from carefully chosen twigs that he sticks firmly in the ground. The enclosures’ shapes differ by species. For example, the gardener bower bird builds circular hut like bowers, often around the trunk of a small tree. The bowers floor is decorated with brightly colored flowers and fruit.

Another species builds an open topped structure made from two rows of twigs three feet long and six inches wide. The whole area is decorated with such objects as bleached bones, feathers, shells, fruits, and petals. Some birds even paint their bowers with the juice of berries. The male bower bird entices a female to his completed structure and dances before her, displaying himself and the objects he has collected. After mating, the female builds herself a separate nest for her eggs.” from ladywildlife

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