Bowerbird with display material in its beak?

["Jack and Andrea Holland" <>]

Denis, I can't identify what the material is, but yellow must be close to the SBB's second favourite colour.  This is based on my former experience of closely watching the bower next door (where the male(s) was/were not very shy at all) and other bowers during the late 90s and early 2000s.  Often straw or other yellow petals/leaves would be used.  Particularly interesting was the use of the yellow feathers from the crest of the Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, with over 25 seen at a number of Canberra/ACT bowers (one wonders how they find so many).  My impression too was that often yellow was mainly used at the one opening side (front?).

 

Much of this has been written up in several articles in the CBN during that period.  Sadly the SBB is hardly present in the NW Chapman area at the moment, I have only heard the occasional call over the past few months.  It was more frequently observed when we first moved back in 2004, though much less common than pre-fires.

 

Jack Holland