Tooth-billed bowerbird
Chapter 10: More birds! More Sounds!
Subchapter: More birds! More Sounds!—Australia
From page 170 in the book.
Bowerbirds! What extraordinary creatures, as the males build bowers in the form of huts, avenues, maypoles, or simply cleared spaces on the forest floor as part of their sexual display to females. In the mountainous forests of northeast Queensland, the tooth-bill creates his display court in a cleared stage, with at least one tree trunk for perching, decorating the stage with fresh green leaves that are laid mostly so that the pale sides face up. And he sings, throughout much of the day, as he is always seeking a mate (see p. 26). Here are nearly five continuous hours from one male, made from about 7A.M. to noon.
I love scrolling through his singing performance in Raven Lite—I see various themes that he sings for a while before actually switching to another. I wonder how many themes he has? Could I find out in only five hours of listening? And how many times does he repeat a theme before switching? I bet he goes bonkers with his themes when a female arrives—unfortunately, I had no such luck during my five-hour vigil. October 20, 2007. Lake Eachem, Queensland. (4:47:28)
♫714, hour 1. One pause of 5:30 duration. Hear him switch to a new theme at the two minute mark? A little after seven minutes, anAustralian brush turkey walks by, calling. (59:56)
♫715, hour 2. Two pauses of four to five minutes each. (59:59)
♫716, hour 3. One pause of about ten minutes. (59:56)
♫717, hour 4. Two pauses, one about eight minutes, the other four and a half. (59:57)
♫718, hour 5. One pause of about 12 minutes. (47:19)