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Golden Bowerbird (Amblyornis newtonianus) Alternate name(s): "Newton's Bowerbird", "Golden Gardener" Size: 23-25 cm Body mass: 60-90 g

Australia: Family Group 23 Family Group 23 Table Paradise Riflebird Victoria's Riflebird Magnificent Riflebird Trumpet Manucode Australian Raven Forest Raven Little Raven Little Crow Torresian Crow White-winged Chough Apostlebird Green Catbird Spotted Catbird Golden Bowerbird Regent Bowerbird Satin Bowerbird Tooth-billed Bowerbird Spotted Bowerbird Western Bowerbird Fawn-breasted Bowerbird Great Bowerbird Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Golden Bowerbirds are the smallest of the Australian bowerbirds. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Golden Bowerbirds have an all golden-yellow front, back of the head and nape of the neck. The rest of the head and back, including wings and tail, are yellowish-olive. Only the trailing side of the flight feathers is dark-grey. Female Golden Bowerbirds have a brownish-olive back and a pale-grey front. The irises of both sexes are yellow. The short, stubby bill is grey; legs and feet are also grey. Immature and juvenile Golden Bowerbirds resemble females, but with brown irises.

Taxonomy, classification See Golden Bowerbird at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Golden Bowerbird is available HERE . The range of the Golden Bowerbird is restricted, extending only from near Cooktown, QLD, along the near-coastal highlands southward to near Mission Beach, QLD. However, their distribution is patchy and there are Golden Bowerbirds farther to the South, where they are found, e.g., to the North-west of Townsville, QLD. Males are sedentary throughout their range. Golden Bowerbirds live in high-altitude (above 700 m) tropical rainforest.

Sightings Click here for sighting information R. Russell reports spotting a Golden Bowerbird in Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, in December 2014. B. Hensen and M. Eaton report finding a Golden Bowerbird and its bower in Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, in November/December 2018. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours found a Golden Bowerbird and its bower at Mount Hypipamee NP, near Malanda, QLD, in September 2019. Another was spotted at Possum Valley, Atherton Tablelands, QLD, in November 2020. Next, a male with its bower was found at Mount Lewis NP, QLD, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, in November 2023. M. Eaton also reports finding a Golden Bowerbird and its bower at Mount Hypipamee NP, near Malanda, QLD, in October 2024.

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Close-up frontal view of a male Golden Bowerbird (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, November 2023]

Frontal view of a male Golden Bowerbird looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, November 2018]

Frontal view of a male Golden Bowerbird looking sideways (photo courtesy of R. Russell)
[Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, December 2014]

Near-frontal view of a male Golden Bowerbird (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Mount Hypipamee NP, near Malanda, QLD, September 2019]

Near-frontal view of a male Golden Bowerbird; this is the bird whose calls were recorded on 10 December 2018
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, November 2018]

Close-up near-lateral view of a male Golden Bowerbird looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Possum Valley, Atherton Tablelands, QLD, December 2020]

Lateral view of a male Golden Bowerbird at its bower (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, November 2018]

Lateral view of a male Golden Bowerbird issuing its call (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, November 2018]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a male Golden Bowerbird looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Possum Valley, Atherton Tablelands, QLD, December 2020]

Dorsal view of a male Golden Bowerbird (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, December 2018]

Dorsal view of a male Golden Bowerbird on the perch in its bower (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, November 2018]

Dorsal view of a preening male Golden Bowerbird (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, December 2018]

FEMALE

Near-lateral view of a female Golden Bowerbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Hypipamee, near Malanda, QLD, October 2024]

Near-lateral view of a female Golden Bowerbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Hypipamee, near Malanda, QLD, October 2024]

Breeding information

Twitcher's tip

A bower is NOT a nest - it is a male bowerbird's courting alley. Nests, built exclusively by female bowerbirds, are in fact kept well away from active bowers.

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary/roaming

Elementary unit: Solitary

Male Golden Bowerbirds are sedentary, females are roaming.

Close-up near-dorsal view of a male Golden Bowerbird bending sideways to add a flower to its treasure trove
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, November 2023]

Frontal view of a male Golden Bowerbird on the perch in its bower (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, November 2018]

Golden Bowerbird's bower (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Mount Hypipamee NP, near Malanda, QLD, September 2019]

Telescopic view of a Golden Bowerbird's bower; the cinnamon-coloured stick at the base (partly obscured by a foreground leaf) is the perch (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, November 2018]

Male Golden Bowerbird adding lichen to its bower (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, December 2018]

Overview of the location of a male Golden Bowerbird's bower (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Hypipamee, near Malanda, QLD, October 2024]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

goldbow_bh_20181210.m4a	(Far N QLD)	Contact calls (male)	© BH
goldbow_me_20230816_3.mp3	(Far N QLD)	Various (male)	© ME
goldbow_me_20230816.mp3	(Far N QLD)	Various (male)	© ME
goldbow_me_20230816_2.mp3	(Far N QLD)	? (male)	© ME

More Golden Bowerbird sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.