Regent bowerbird

Sericulus chrysocephalus

Photo by Josep del Hoyo (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:

regent bowerbird (en); jardineiro-governador (pt); jardinier prince-régent (fr); pergolero regente (es); gelbnacken-laubenvogel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Ptilonorhynchidae

Range:

This Australian species is only found in the coastal rainforests of south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales, in the eastern-most part of Australia.

Size:

The regent bowerbird is 25-30 cm long. They can weigh up to 100 g.

Habitat:

They are found in forested areas, mostly rainforests and their surrounding areas.

Diet:

They mostly eat fruits and berries in the canopy and upper layers of the forests. These may be seasonally supplemented with insects, spiders, plant shoots and leaves.

Breeding:

The breding season of the regent bowerbird takes place in September-March. The male will not participate in either nest building of raising the young. He builds an avenue-type bower consisting of two walls of sticks, decorated with shells, seeds, leaves and berries that is used to attract females. The actual nest is built by the female, a shallow saucer of twigs and leaves that may be well away from the male's bower. The clutch is composed of 1-2 eggs, which are incubated by the female for 25 days. The chicks stay in the nest for 22 days before fledging.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species as a large breeding range. Although the population is believed to be declining due to ongoing habitat loss and degradation, and unquantified levels of hunting, the species is not considered threatened at present.