bowerbird

American  

[bou-er-burd] / ˈbaʊ ərˌbɜrd /

noun

1. any of several oscine birds of the family Ptilonorhynchidae, of Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands, the males of which build bowerlike, decorated structures to attract the females.

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bowerbird British  

/ ˈbaʊəˌbɜːd /

noun

1. 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

2. informal a person who collects miscellaneous objects

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Etymology

Origin of bowerbird

First recorded in 1840–50; bower ¹ + bird

Example Sentences

Onstage and onscreen, we see a lot of blue: blue props, blue outfits and blue-centric video clips, including one in which a bowerbird builds a nest with bits of blue detritus.

From New York Times • May 27, 2024

In “The Bird Way,” Jennifer Ackerman takes a detailed look at the lives of birds — including their parenting strategies — like the bowerbird, the cuckoo and the kea.

From New York Times • Aug. 27, 2020

Stunning adaptations such as termite mounds, beaver dams, and bowerbird displays have long been a staple of evolutionary studies.

From Nature • Oct. 7, 2014

Australia’s peculiar male bowerbird collects and assembles objects into an elaborate display as part of a courtship ritual to attract females.

From Scientific American • Aug. 22, 2011

My bowerbird proved to be a new species, since described by Mr. Gould as Chlamydera cerviniventris, and the bower is exhibited in the British Museum.

From Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By the Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During the Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea, the Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. to Which Is Added the Account of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition for the Exploration of the Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist to the Expedition. — Volume 1 by MacGillivray, John