By FMT’s Lifestyle Desk

Are humans masters of courtship tactics and strategy? Well, unless you are able to construct a home from scratch and decorate it artistically, the bowerbirds have got one up on you.

The male peacock is well known for its courtship displays, during which it fans its colourful tail feathers to attract a mate. But not all birds are so spectacular, and males of other species employ different means.

Leaving them all in the dust are male bowerbirds, who use their intelligence to impress the females, constructing elaborate structures called bowers to attract mates.

They are not only master builders, but also accomplished artists. Males of some species decorate their bowers lavishly with flower petals and sparkly, found man-made objects. The Satin bowerbird even paints the walls of his bower with charcoal or chewed up berries (wah!)

Male Great bowerbirds are even more remarkable. Their bowers, which are among the most complex of all, are true marvels of avian architecture. But as well as being builders and artists, males of this species are also magicians – the bowers they build are like a house of illusions, with built-in visual tricks that manipulate females’ perceptions and increase their likelihood of choosing the builder as their mate.

Bowerbirds for the WIN!

Based on an article first published in www.PetFinder.my