bowerbird

noun bow·er·bird \ ˈbau̇(-ə)r-ˌbərd \

Updated on: 5 Apr 2018

Definition of bowerbird

: any of a family (Ptilonorhynchidae) of passerine birds of Australia and New Guinea in which the male builds a chamber or passage arched over with twigs and grasses, often adorned with bright-colored objects, and used especially to attract the female

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Recent Examples of bowerbird from the Web

Among the missing skins were rare and precious quetzals and cotingas, from Central and South America; and bowerbirds, Indian crows and birds of paradise that Alfred Russel Wallace had shipped over from New Guinea.

— franz lidz, Smithsonian, "The Great Feather Heist," 21 Mar. 2018
The male bowerbird spends most of his life trying to create a bower that will draw in his mate.

— National Geographic, "Here's Why 'Birdbrain' Should Be a Compliment," 15 May 2016
In bowerbirds, for example, females have used choice preferences to make males less aggressive and more amenable.

— michael forsberg, National Geographic, "Why It Matters Who Females Choose to Have Sex With," 18 June 2017
This is shown in bowerbirds: Females receive dramatic and even violent displays because those displays are stimulating and because the females can keep their autonomy intact.

— michael forsberg, National Geographic, "Why It Matters Who Females Choose to Have Sex With," 18 June 2017
If ducks reflect our cultural present, bowerbirds may illuminate both our evolutionary origins and our social future.

— richard o. prum, The New Yorker, "Duck Sex and the Patriarchy," 17 May 2017
A few species, such black wheateaters and bowerbirds, are already known to use nest design in courtship displays.

— brandon keim, WIRED, "Hidden Messages Found in Bird Nest Decorations," 20 Jan. 2011

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bowerbird.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.