Western bowerbird
| Western bowerbird | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Ptilonorhynchidae |
| Genus: | Chlamydera |
| Species: | C. guttata |
| Binomial name | |
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Chlamydera guttata Gould, 1862 |
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The western bowerbird (Chlamydera guttata) is a species of bird in the bowerbird family. The species is a common endemic of Australia. It has a disjunct distribution, occurring in Central Australia and the Pilbara region of Western Australia. There are two subspecies, the nominate, which occupies most of its range, and P. g. cateri, which occurs only the North West Cape in Western Australia. The species was first collected in 1861 by the explorer Francis Gregory, who gave the specimen to John Gould. The specific name guttata means spotted, referring to its plumage. The species is similar to the spotted bowerbird, and has often been treated as a subspecies of it.
The western bowerbird is smaller than the other bowerbird it shares its range with, the great bowerbird. It measures between 24–28 cm in length and weighs between 120-150 g. Both sexes are similar in size and dimensions, except that the tail of the female is slightly longer. The plumage is brown with reddish or buff spots over the throat, chest, neck, back head and wings, with a pink erectile crest on the nape. The tail is brown and the undersides are buff. The plumage of the female is similar to the male but more spotted on the throat.
The western bowerbird feeds on fruits, particularly those of the rock fig (Ficus platypoda), sandalwood, snake gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina) and mistletoes. They will also enter farms to feed on cultivated fruits. Other items taken in the diet include nectar, flowers, insects such as ants, moths, beetles and grasshoppers, and spiders. They need to drink regularly and are rarely found far from water.
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Wikipedia