Satin Bowerbirds are medium-sized birds. The adult male has striking glossy blue-black plumage, a pale bluish-white bill and a violet-blue iris. Younger male and female Satin bowerbirds are similar in colour to each other they have the purple iris and are olive-green above with off-white scalloping below and have brown wings and tails.
The Satin Bowerbird diet consists of a large number of insects, while leaves are also eaten during the winter months. They have an amazing variety of sounds, including whistles, buzzing and hissing, as well as mimicry.
Males build specialised stick structures, called bowers, which they decorate with blue, yellow, and shiny objects, including berries, flowers, snail shells, and plastic items. As the males mature they use more blue objects than other colours. It is thought that the preference for blue objects is due to the colour blue being more familiar and the designated colour for this species
We were entranced with this birds antics while we were at the Woolllongong Botanic Gardens.
