The golden bowerbird (Prionodura newtoniana ) is a species of bird in the family Ptilonorhynchidae, the bowerbirds. It is endemic to Queensland in Australia, where it is limited to the Atherton region.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
A dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe male golden bowerbird has a brown head and brown wings which are bright yellow-gold underneath, as are the tail, crest and nape. The female is olive brown with ash-gray underparts. Immatures look similar to the female except their eyes are brown. This is the smallest species of bowerbird.
This species has a patchy distribution in northeastern Queensland. Though it has a limited range, it is common in the area, and populations are apparently stable. It is a least-concern species on the IUCN Red List. This bird lives in rainforests above 700 meters in elevation, including some habitat that has been disturbed by human activities such as logging.
The habitat of the golden bowerbird is upland rainforests from 350 and 1530 meters. Traditional bowerbird habitats include mild slopes, ridges immediately surrounding hill crests, and below steeper slopes where terrain levels off; canopy coverage is often greater than 70%; none on hilltops or in disturbed forest.
The golden bowerbird feeds mainly on fruits, and sometimes takes insects and spiders.
Like most other bowerbirds, the male builds and maintains a bower over several years. Males do not grow their adult plumage for at least five or six years, during which time they wander, learn the social hierarchy of mature males, and practice building bower-like structures. Upon maturity, a male establishes his bower site, builds his structure, and spends much time decorating it. He may steal decorations from his neighbours, and defend his possessions from other males. During the breeding season, generally August through December, the male perches at his bower and produces a number of vocalizations, which attract females.
The female establishes a nest in cup-shaped crevices, usually in tree trunks. There are one to two eggs per clutch. The nestlings are fed fruit and insects, and fledging occurs most often in January. The life span ranges from 6 to 30 years, depending on the species.
The golden bowerbird feeds mainly on fruits, and sometimes takes insects and spiders. Fruits, especially those from vines, as well as flowers, buds, and arthropods. Nestlings eat largely fruits and a few insects, mostly cicadas (Cicadidae), with the percentage of fruit rising as the nestling grows older. Fruits and insects are eaten by fledglings. In the Paluma Range, males cache fruits, especially bunches of wild pepper (Piper), in crevices surrounding bower sites to be recovered for later use; one nesting female was spotted retrieving a cached fruit. Forages by sallying and seeking; cicadas are infrequently hawked. Usually eats alone, however 3–4 (often juvenile) individuals may forage in the same fruiting canopy with other bird species, including other bowerbirds.
The golden bowerbird's population is very well conserved. They do not face a threat of extinction and are very well protected in their habitat. In past years, the birds faced the threat of logging in their habitat, however this did not present a big threat to the birds. Their habitat is now also environmentally protected so the threat of extinction and decline in population is very minimal.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...