Regent Bowerbird

Description:

Female:- Head a dull brown with fine dusky spots; a dull soot-black patch on hind-crown. The back and rump are fawn-brown; feathers broadly scalloped with white, black-edged crescents towards upper back. Wings are dull brown; flight feathers with paler edges, washed underneath with dull yellow-grey; wing coverts barred. A dull brown tail. Underparts are cream-white except for black spot on throat, mottled and scalloped with brown edges to feathers, especially on upper breast; scallops change to fine bars on belly and flanks. The eye is a dull yellow. Bill, feet and claws are dusky. Immatures:- Like adult female but with dusky brown eyes.

Habitat:

Subtropical rain forests and outer edges in the Eastern Australia Region. Spotted at Mt. Wooroolin, which is quite a scrubby habitat. Rough-barked Apple; Silver-leaved Ironbark; Bird's Nest Bush; Fern-leaf Wattle, to name a few.

Notes:

The call is a harsh, churring squawk, te-aar and similar squeaky notes uttered by both sexes , as contact low explosive chatterings and hisses. There's possibly some mimicry by the adult males, during breeding, as part of display rituals. Also, to a lesser extent, by females and immatures. Photos edited. Ref:- Readers' Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds.