I saw this quote on Facebook the other day:
Then I saw this article on the mating rituals of the Bowerbird. Speaking of Wise too late!
Lots of species will go all out to land a mate, but few courtship routines are as elaborate as that of the bowerbird. These birds craft nest-like structures, known as bowers, and decorate them with attention-getting items. Females tour many of these local bowers, assessing both structure and suitor before selecting a mate.
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Male satin bowerbirds festoon the front terraces of their bowers with shiny or colored objects, preferring those of a vivid blue hue.
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Bowerbirds don’t discriminate when hunting for objects to add to their bowers, displaying natural treasures like fresh flowers, feathers, and cicada wings alongside objects like ballpoint pen lids and bottlecaps.
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Decorating a bower doesn’t end at displaying objects. Some satin bowerbirds mix plant material with saliva to make a “paint” they spread over their bower walls.
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Competition for bower decorations is fierce, and male bowerbirds will steal desirable trinkets from other bowers to improve their own.
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If a female admires a bower, she enters it, but the mating ritual isn’t over. The male then proceeds to perform a dance while holding a favorite trinket in his beak.
Here are a few pics of their assembly artwork:
But this Dude isn't finished yet. Once he has her in his sights be preforms his dance. OMG! Click Pic:
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