What would a bowerbird do with unlimited bling? (1 Viewer)

jurek

Well-known member

• Jan 15, 2020

• #1

A question I pondered on my holidays but did not dare to check.

What would a male bowerbird do if he could find unlimited number of shiny objects? Would it bury the bower under the bling, would it stop collecting, or would it ignore shiny things and collect ordinary things?

 

F

fugl

Well-known member

• Jan 15, 2020

• #2

jurek said:

A question I pondered on my holidays but did not dare to check.

What would a male bowerbird do if he could find unlimited number of shiny objects? Would it bury the bower under the bling, would it stop collecting, or would it ignore shiny things and collect ordinary things?

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Would be a very interesting experiment. . .. I’m sorry you didn’t give it a shot.

 

Nutcracker

Stop Brexit!

• Jan 15, 2020

• #3

Don't know, but I can bet the experiment has been done!

 

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fugl

Well-known member

• Jan 15, 2020

• #4

Nutcracker said:

Don't know, but I can bet the experiment has been done!

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Yeah, you’d think so. . ..

 

jurek

Well-known member

• Jan 16, 2020

• #5

Yep, probably somebody checked it. It should also happen naturally, e.g. when a bowerbird lives next to a rubbish dump.

But I could not find the answer, so maybe some Aussie member can help?

 

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LowellMills

Is this your Sanderling?

• Feb 3, 2020

• #6

I thought they preferred blue objects to shiny ones?

 

Nutcracker

Stop Brexit!

• Feb 3, 2020

• #7

LowellMills said:

I thought they preferred blue objects to shiny ones?

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Think it depends on the species of bowerbird.

 

jurek

Well-known member

• Feb 9, 2020

• #8

Yes, it depends of species. I though about Arfak Bowerbird, but the Shiny Bowerbird, which is most familiar to Australians, prefers blue objects.

I also thought that the fourth option is possible. Bower building is competitive. So a male which restrains himself leaves bling to rivals to pick. So a male bowerbird, after filling his bower, might start hiding or destroying the rest of the trinkets.

The question stands either way - what would a Satin Bowerbird do when it found a bucketful of blue pieces of plastic or paper?