Ptilonorhynchidae Bowerbirds

Like the birds-of-paradise, their somewhat distantly related neighbors in Australo-Papuan forests, members of this family exemplify the whimsy of sexual selection run rampant. Male bowerbirds have adopted a distinctive dimension for the expression of their ardor, all building a bower that serves to attract, and later, to woo, prospective mates. Decorated with blossoms, fruits, snake skins, bottle caps, or bits of plastic, all in the color or colors preferred by females of each species, these bowers are exquisite creations that require great effort to produce, maintain, and defend. The fact that the largest and most spectacular of these arbors are made by species with the drabbest males suggests compensatory adjustment between plumage brightness and bower complexity, and intense sexual selection in all.