High in the rainforest canopies and tucked into quiet forest corners, Tamborine Mountain plays host to one of Australia’s most fascinating and flamboyant birds — the satin bowerbird. While the females and juveniles appear olive-green with speckled plumage, the adult males are easily recognised by their glossy blue-black feathers and striking violet-blue eyes. But it’s not just their looks that capture attention — it’s their elaborate and artistic courtship rituals that truly set them apart.
Each year, from August through to January, the breeding season brings a flurry of creative activity. Male satin bowerbirds set out to win a mate not through song or strength, but through design. They construct bowers — intricate structures made not for nesting, but for display. These bowers are avenues of sticks, arranged neatly on the forest floor, and serve as a kind of stage where males perform for potential mates.
But the structure is only part of the appeal. What makes a bower truly eye-catching is its decoration. Males go to great lengths to collect colourful objects to line the path leading to the bower and to scatter around its entrance. They are especially drawn to blue — the brighter, the better. Bottle caps, drinking straws, pegs, feathers, berries, and even bits of glass or plastic can become prized possessions. This intense preference for blue is thought to relate to their natural plumage and the way the colour contrasts against the forest floor, drawing the eye of passing females.
Tamborine Mountain’s mix of rainforest reserves, private gardens, and quiet suburban edges makes it an ideal home for satin bowerbirds. Observant bushwalkers may come across a bower discreetly hidden among the undergrowth along popular trails in the region’s national parks. Locals sometimes find evidence of a bowerbird’s artistic flair in their backyards — especially if they’ve left anything blue unattended!
What makes this display even more fascinating is the level of effort involved. A male may spend weeks refining his collection, removing items that don’t work, re-arranging twigs, and defending his bower from rivals. Some cheeky males will even sabotage a neighbour’s bower by stealing decorations or knocking the structure down. It’s a high-stakes competition for the attention of visiting females, who will inspect several bowers before choosing a mate.
While the temptation to “donate” blue trinkets can be strong, it’s best to admire from a distance. The satin bowerbird’s unique behaviour is best left undisturbed, so they can continue their strange and wonderful traditions in peace.
If you’re exploring Tamborine Mountain during the breeding season, keep your eyes peeled — a flash of shiny blue in the underbrush might not be litter, but the love-struck work of one of nature’s most surprising architects.