The Bowerbirds Ptilonorhynchidae

by Frith, Clifford B.; Frith, Dawn W.; Barnes, Eustace; McGuire, Michael; Perrins, C. M.; Bock, W. J.; Kikkawa, J.

• ISBN13: 9780198548447
• ISBN10: 0198548443
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-04-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The bowerbirds are unique in the avian world in that the males build elaborate 'bowers': structures of sticks, grasses or other plant stems on or close to the ground, often incorporating objects such as colourful fruits, flowers, feathers, bones, stones, shells, insect skeletons, and numerous other natural (and human-made) objects. The highly sophisticated building, decorating, arranging, singing, and courtship posturing and dancing by males is primarily to attract and impress females. As much of it is performed in the absence of females, however, some consider it possible that males may also enjoy such activities for their own sake. The bowers and the birds' behaviour associated with them have been much studied by behavioral ecologists searching for evolutionary and ecological explanations of behavioural patterns. The Bowerbirds is an indispensable work of reference for everyone interested in these birds.

Author Biography

Clifford Frith is the author of a highly-respected companion volume in the Bird Families of the World series, The Birds of Paradise. Clifford's early ornithological positions included The Natural History Museum, London, and the Royal Society of London Research Station, Aldabra Atoll, Indian Ocean. He obtained his PhD at Griffith University, Brisbane, for evolutionary studies of bowerbirds and birds of paradise. Dawn Frith obtained her PhD, in littoral zone marine biology, at London University and lectured in zoology before meeting Clifford on Aldabra Atoll, where she studied insects. Both Cliff and Dawn are private ornithologists and self-employed natural history authors, photographers, and publishers. They have worked on tropical Australasian birds, as well as various other avian, other vertebrate, and invertebrate, groups, and mangrove ecology, in the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, and tropical Pacific. They are Honorary Research Fellows of the Queensland Museum and joint recipients of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union's D. L. Serventy Medal for contributions to ornithology.

Table of Contents

List of colour plates	xi
List of abbreviations	xiii
Plan of the book	xvii
Maps showing some locations mentioned in the text	xx
PART I General chapters
1 The bowerbirds-an introduction	1	(15)
2 Systematics and biogeography	16	(28)
3 Ecological cycles, foraging, and other behaviour	44	(36)
4 Morphology, demography, bower sites, structures, and their significance	80	(48)
5 Bower site acquisition, fidelity, attendance, and courtship displays	128	(25)
6 Breeding biology and parental care	153	(46)
7 Evolution of mating systems and sexual selection	199	(26)
PART II Family, genus, and species accounts
8 Family PTILONORHYNCHIDAE
20 species in 8 genera	225	(214)
Genus Ailuroedus (the catbirds)	227	(30)
White-eared Catbird
Ailuroedus buccoides	228	(5)
Black-eared Catbird
Ailuroedus rnelanotis	233	(16)
Green Catbird
Ailuroedus crassirostris	249	(8)
Genus Scenopoeetes	257	(18)
Tooth-billed Bowerbird
Scenopoeetes dentirostris	257	(18)
Genus Amblyornis (the gardener bowerbirds)	275	(25)
Macgregor's Bowerbird
Amblyornis macgregoriae	275	(11)
Streaked Bowerbird
Amblyornis subalaris	286	(3)
Vogelkop Bowerbird
Amblyornis inornatus	289	(8)
Yellow-fronted Bowerbird
Amblyornis flavifrons	297	(3)
Genus Archboldia	300	(12)
Archbold's Bowerbird
Archboldia papuensis	300	(12)
Genus Prionodura	312	(20)
Golden Bowerbird
Prionodura newtoniana	313	(19)
Genus Sericulus (the silky bowerbirds)	332	(29)
Masked Bowerbird
Sericulus aureus	332	(7)
Flame Bowerbird
Sericulus ardens	339	(4)
Adelbert Bowerbird
Sericulus bakni	343	(3)
Regent Bowerbird
Sericulus chrysocephalus	346	(15)
Genus Ptilonorhynchus	361	(26)
Satin Bowerbird
Ptilonorhynchus violaceus	362	(25)
Genus Chlamydera (the grey bowerbirds)	387	(52)
Lauterbach's Bowerbird
Chlamydera lauterbachi	388	(7)
Fawn-breasted Bowerbird
Chlamydera cerviniventris	395	(8)
Spotted Bowerbird
Chlamydera maculata	403	(13)
Western Bowerbird
Chlamydera guttata	416	(7)
Great Bowerbird
Chlamydera nuchalis	423	(16)
Appendices	439	(14)
Glossary	453	(9)
Bibliography	462	(35)
Index	497