Satin bowerbird
With vibrant blue-violet eyes and curious antics, the satin bowerbird is a favourite for bird watching and easy to spot as it forages for food in open forest. Relatively common across eastern Australia, in NSW they’re found in coastal rainforests and adjacent woodlands and mountain ranges.
Read more about Satin bowerbird
One of the most intriguing of Australian birds, the satin bowerbird is also found in eucalypt forests across eastern NSW.
While the female is grey-green-brown in colour, the mature male is black with a glossy blue sheen.
Male satin bowerbirds exhibit sophisticated courtship behaviour, building intricate display areas, or bowers, with walls of twigs and sticks coated with a mixture of charcoal and saliva. The male intricately weaves blue-coloured objects such as feathers, berries, and artificial objects into the entrance areas to lure a female. After mating, the female builds a nest where she incubates and raises the chicks on her own.
Listen to a satin bowerbird's call
Audio © David Stewart Naturesound
Animal facts
- Common name
- Satin bowerbird
- Scientific name
- Ptilonorhynchus violaceus
- Conservation status in NSW
- Protected
All native birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, not including dingoes, are protected in NSW by the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.