MAR 21, 2018

This ain't no Tinder courtship

WRITTEN BY: Kathryn DeMuth Sullivan

Men, take notes. The male bowerbirds, a family of twenty species native to Australia and New Guinea, are professional wooers - they really know how to lure a woman in. Known for their multifaceted mating rituals, male bowerbirds use a combination of their unique looks and intelligence to attract female mates.

While different species utilize specific techniques, most male bowerbirds are expert architects, making little structures called bowers to entice females. Take the Satin bowerbird, for example, who deliberately paints the bower he uses to wow the ladies with charcoal and mashed berries. Or the male Great bowerbird, who constructs structures of such complexity that his lady visitors can enjoy a sort of "illusion house," ogling at the clever bits and pieces of color and knick-knacks that he has collected in order to draw her attention. Want to see how the male above courts his queen? Watch the video!