Alternative names: Great Grey Bowerbird; Lilac-naped Bowerbird
- Chlamydera nuchalis
Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis
Identification
35cm (13¾ in). The biggest bowerbird.
- Brownish-grey plumage, slightly darker and greyer on chin, throat, upper breast and upperparts
- Variably finely spotted with a darker colour and a silvery colour
- Pinkish-mauve erectile filamentous crest, mostly hidden
- Dark brown wings and tail with whitish tips and some darker bars
- Dark brown eye
- Blackish bill
- Olive-brown legs
Females are similar but they lack the pink crest (older females may have a small one).
Juveniles have a pale buff spotted mantle, back and rump.
Distribution
Endemic to northern Australia.
Locally common to fairly common.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Two subspecies recognized:
- C. n. nuchalis in northern Western Australia (including offshore islands) to northern Northern Territory and extreme northwest Queensland
- C. n. orientalis in Queensland to 20° S
One hybrid with Spotted Bowerbird recorded.
Habitat
Favours eucalypt forest and woodland near rivers. Also found in suburbs and gardens. Occurs from sea-level up to 600m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on fruits (mainly figs), flowers, nectar, green vegetables, insects, seeds and food scraps.
Forages in trees, sometimes also on the ground. Usually seen singly or in pairs, outside breeding season also in bigger flocks of up to 30 birds.
Breeding
Breeding recorded in all months except April and June. A polygynous species. The male builds and attends a bower to attract females. They build a nest alone and also breed alone.
The avenue bower is errected under a bush and the same site may be used for many years. The sticks on both sides meet and form a tunnel. It's decorated with white or grey snail shells, mammal bones, green fruits, some red or reddish items and many other things. When the female arrives the male performs a courtship display.
The nest is a saucer made of sticks and twigs and placed 2 - 9m above the ground in a bush or tree. Lays 1 - 2 eggs.
Movements
A resident species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Great Bowerbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Great_Bowerbird
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
