From Opus

Photo by dandsblair
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, May 2012

Alternative name: Buff-breasted Bowerbird

Chlamydera cerviniventris

[edit] Identification

29cm.

• Brownish-olive above with off-white to buff spotting
• Wings and tail feathers finely tipped whitish
• Pale buff chin, throat and chest with dusky grey-brown streaking
• Clean pale cinnamon underparts
• Dark brown eye
• Blackish bill

Sexes similar, juveniles undescribed.

[edit] Similar species

Similar in appearance to Yellow-breasted Bowerbird, but note lack of yellow.

[edit] Distribution

New Guinea and northern Queensland, Australia.
Locally common but patchily distributed.

[edit] Taxonomy

Monotypic.

[edit] Habitat

In Australia found in mangroves and in open and closed forest. In New Guinea in lowland to hill forest patches and in light woodland and scrub in savannas. Occurs from sea-level up to 500m in New Guinea, locally up to 1700m.

[edit] Behaviour

Diet little known. Feeds on fruits and insects.
Usually seen singly, in pairs or small groups.
Breeding season all months in New Guinea, display season mostly June to December in Australia. A polygynous species. The male builds and attends a bower to attract females. They build a nest alone and also breed alone.
The avenue bower is decorated with green fruits, seed pods, unopened flower buds and green leaves. When the female arrives the male performs a courtship display.
The nest is made of sticks and twigs and placed up to 10m above the ground in a tree. Lays 1 egg.
A resident species.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507

• List of references

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID