Bowerbirds, a family of 20 species in eight genera, are a fascinating bunch of birds who range from New Guinea and Australia.
Some are flashy, others drab, but all are named for the "bowers" (
avenues, huts, or towers of sticks;
source) that the
males craft and decorate to attract a mate.
There are regional styles (PDF) in the design of the bowers, and
the male Greater Bowerbirds even employ optical illusions. Some, like
the Vogelkop Bowerbird, add mimicry vocal to their repertoire of courting methods.
Add accidental cultivation to the list of fascinating features of the bowerbirds.
[more inside]
posted by filthy light thief
on Apr 26, 2012 -
44 comments
The Uprising Of The Ants: "Alexandra Achenbach and Susanne Foitzik from Ludwig Maximillians Universty in Munich found that some of the kidnapped workers don't bow to the whims of their new queen. Once they have matured, they start killing the pupae of their captors, destroying as many as two-thirds of the colony's brood. "
posted by The Whelk
on Apr 2, 2009 -
32 comments
