Wildlife
Vogelkop bowerbirds are found in New Guinea and are named after the beautiful shelters they build to attract mates. Each bowerbird population makes slightly different bowers. Some use colourful flowers or leaves, some may choose stones or other objects and they lay these out in their own patterns, perhaps in response to the divergent tastes of females in the area.
Scientific name: Amblyornis inornata
Rank: Species
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Animal artistry
Vogelkop bowerbirds use aesthetics to attract a mate.
Sir David has had a keen interest in birds of paradise since his teenage years. The bowerbirds are close relations that are no less fascinating to him, owing to their extraordinary courtship behaviour. This sequence has often been voted as a favourite and shows the delightful results of the bowerbirds artistic efforts, as they collect all sorts of items found on the forest floor and create gorgeous visual displays to charm a prospective mate.
Flower bower
A seduction parlour par excellence for the Vogelkop bowerbird.
Do you find it difficult getting a girlfriend? Are your chat-up lines falling flat? Have you lost that loving feeling? Then why not take a lesson in seduction from the master himself, the Barry White of the bird world - the male Vogelkop bowerbird.
Encounter with a Vogelkop bowerbird
Programme maker Stephen Lyle ventures into the forests of West Papua.
Programme maker Stephen Lyle ventures into the forests of West Papua to look for a small brown bird with a talent for sculpture.
The following habitats are found across the Vogelkop bowerbird distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
RainforestDiscover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Least Concern
Year assessed: 2009
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The Vogelkop Bowerbird (Amblyornis inornata), also known as the Vogelkop Gardener Bowerbird, is a medium-sized, bowerbird of the mountains of the Vogelkop Peninsula at Western New Guinea, Indonesia.
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Courtship display
Adapted to flying
Acoustic communication
Mimicry
Egg layer
Visual communication