Satin Bowerbird has purple eyes
I spent this weekend in the Blue Mountains, a beautiful area to the west of Sydney. On an early morning walk this morning, I heard some interested chattering and calling from a group of birds. I went to investigate, and found this lovely creature:
![](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/satin-bowerbird-dscn7163.jpg?w=1024)
That purple eye isn’t a trick of the light. This bird really does have purple eyes. It’s a female Satin Bowerbird. My first sighting!
Bowerbirds are so called because of their unique behaviour around breeding time. The male bird (which I didn’t see) builds a large construction on the ground, made up of various bits of vegetation. The shape and size of the construction depends on the type of bowerbird. Satin Bowerbirds use upright-standing dry grass or twigs to form an intriguing tunnel. It’s almost heart-shaped. Then they gather decorations to entice the female to their bower. Satin Bowerbirds love blue. They’ll use blue petals, berries, bits of plastic, even entire spoons and other utensils — provided they’re blue!
Here’s another of the birds that I saw this morning, looking alert as I hove into view, and showing off her spangled front feathers, with a light green blush on the chest:
![](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/satin-bowerbird-dscn7160-cropped.jpg?w=977)
The next picture shows the back of the bird:
![](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/satin-bowerbird-dscn7162-cropped.jpg?w=1024)
Common name: Satin Bowerbird
Scientific name: Ptilonorhynchus violaceus
Approximate length: 28-34 cm
Date spotted: 22 November 2021 (spring)
Location: Mount Victoria, NSW, Australia: 33°35’11.4″S 150°15’15.8″E
Posted on 2021/11/22, in Birds, Bowerbird and tagged australia, birds, birdwatching, Satin Bowerbird. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
Leave a comment
Comments 0