Australian BirdsRegent Bowerbird
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The gleaming gold and velvety black spectacle of male Regent Bowerbirds rarely fails to excite even the most casual onlooker. Regent Bowerbirds range northwards up the east coast from the outskirts of Sydney through coastal and mountain rainforests as far north as the Eungella Plateau, west of Mackay. In Queensland they also occur further inland in drier habitats like vine thicket as far as Taroom and Ka Ka Mundi in Carnarvon National Park.
There is no better place to see them than O'Reillys Rainforest Retreat in the mountains near Brisbane where many birds congregate near the guesthouse.
Finding bowers is another matter. Unlike the other bowerbirds in Australia, males only maintain their bowers for a short period of two to three weeks during the mating season. They are well hidden under overhanging foliage and the best clue to their whereabouts is to hear the very distinctive buzzing call the males give when at the bower.
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