Satin Bowerbirds are native to Australia. The birds pictured here are females. Males are dark black, but have the same startling blue eyes.

Bowerbirds are named after the elaborate stick structures called bowers that males build to attract a mate.

They use found objects, to decorate their bowers, the flashier and bluer, the better!

Females inspect the bowers, while the males dance near them, and females choose their mate based both on the dance and the bower.

Bowers are decorated with anything colorful the birds find, like pens, buttons, blue plastic, blue balloons, blue bottle caps, blue feathers etc. There have a definite preference for blue colors that match their eyes!

I am impressed with any guy who will not only build a house for his mate, but shop till he drops to decorate it, and dance for her too!

Wow!

I didn’t find any bowers in Australia, but here is an image of a bower that I found on The San Diego Zoo’s website.

Photo Source: San Diego Zoo.org

Cheers to you from the lucky female Australian Bowerbirds~