Key facts
- Male bowerbirds build and decorate bowers as part of their mating rituals.
- Urban bowerbirds have greater access to brightly colored human-made items for decoration.
- Both urban and rural bowerbirds show a preference for human-made items.
- Researchers monitored 61 male great bowerbirds in urban and rural Australian sites.
Male bowerbirds are known for their elaborate mating rituals, which involve building intricate bowers and decorating them with colorful items. A new study by University of Exeter scientists, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, reveals that urbanization has significantly impacted these courtship displays in Australian male bowerbirds. Researchers observed that urban birds have greater access to and preference for brightly colored human-made items compared to their rural counterparts. The study monitored 61 male great bowerbirds across two sites in Queensland, Australia—the rural Dreghorn Cattle Station and the urban Townsville City—during the breeding season from September to December 2023. The bower decorations were photographed in both visible and UV light, as bowerbirds can see in the UV spectrum. The study suggests urbanization has had a significant impact, but does not definitively prove causation. The preference for human items is noted, but the exact reasons for this preference beyond access are not fully detailed.