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Spotted Bowerbird (Chlamydera maculata) Alternate name(s): "Mimicbird", "Cabbage-bird" Aboriginal name(s): "wiidhaa" [gamilaraay, yuwaalaraay] Size: 25-31 cm Body mass: 120-165 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

Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Spotted Bowerbirds are medium-sized bowerbirds. They have a cryptic plumage. They have a light-brown throat. The breast, sides and flanks are darker brown, scalloped with light-brown chevrons, and a fawn to buff belly and vent. The head is brown, streaked with dark grey-brown. From the nape of the neck down, except for a pink nuchal crest, the rest of the back is dark grey-brown, spotted copiously with lighter brown specks. The wing and tail feathers all have light-brown ends. The only difference between the two sexes is that male Spotted Bowerbirds have larger (and broader) nuchal crests than females. Males, when excited, can fan out the crest, which will then not be erected upwards, but fan out sideways, rendering a pink and purple fringe visible behind its eyes, as seen from the front. The eyes have brown irises. The strong bill is dark-grey; the legs and feet are also dark-grey. Juveniles do not have a lilac/pink nuchal crest yet. Twitcher's tip Compared with Western Bowerbirds, Spotted Bowerbirds have paler colours.

Taxonomy, classification See Spotted 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 Spotted Bowerbird is available HERE . NB: Reports on ebird of birds submitted by birdwatchers from the Australian Outback tend to be clustered along roads and public areas such as camp grounds; in such cases their distribution is not a good representation of the overall distribution of the species. Spotted Bowerbirds are endemic to Australia. They live in inland NSW and QLD, with a western boundary along the Paroo River catchment, just to the East of the state borders between NSW/SA and QLD/NT. In the south their range is limited at about the geographic latitude of the Murray-Darling confluence, while in the North their range extends to just beyond Mt. Isa and Charters Towers, QLD. In the East they do not venture into the Great Dividing Range South of Goondiwindi, QLD. Spotted Bowerbirds live in dry open forest or woodland. They are also present in areas dominated by tall scrub or with remnant scattered trees. Especially when searching for food, Spotted Bowerbirds will enter rural gardens (no soft fruit is safe when they are about). Males have a preference for Wilga trees as cover for their bowers. Where to look? How to find this species? Spotted Bowerbirds are usually noticeable around bowers or other sites with attractions, such as food. A resident male will often show the visiting females his "assets" (bower, food, water) and announce those with his scratchy, hissing calls. Since females tend to be quiet, one will need to follow the tracks of a male to find Spotted Bowerbirds. A variety of calls or sounds coming from one area/position, often including sounds that don't belong (such as mobile phone ringtones), usually tell the presence of a male showing off by using mimicry.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Spotted Bowerbirds came to our place 20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, mostly through the winter seasons. During the heat of summer they were not seen there in the years 2003-2006. A male Spotted Bowerbird is a permanent resident where we live at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri. At times, he attracts up to 5 females. Spotted Bowerbirds are quite common, and found in many different locations, in northern inland NSW. They have also been reported to us from various locations in southern inland QLD. A. Allnutt reports finding a Spotted Bowerbird at Lake Cargelligo, NSW, in January 2019. M. Eaton reports spotting Spotted Bowerbirds along the Barkley Highway, e.g. 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, in June 2021. This location is close to the north-western boundary of their range. Another one was found at the Eulo Bore, Eulo, QLD, in June 2022. C. Linfoot occasionally finds Spotted Bowerbirds at Hervey Range, near Townsville, QLD.

Photos

Southern parts of range

Note how the birds shown here are paler overall than those displayed below, from the northern parts of their range.

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Male Spotted Bowerbirds, left, have a bigger, more prominent, erectile pink nuchal crest than females.

Telling the sexes of Spotted Bowerbirds in the field, just by their morphology, is difficult. In both sexes, the prominence, or absence, of the nuchal crest can be misleading or hidden from view because the pink feathers can be concealed between others at the nape of the neck.
In most cases, to know the sex of a Spotted Bowerbird, one must study their behaviour. Male Spotted Bowerbirds are nosy and loud. Females follow, or appear on their own, usually inconspicuous and silent.
The absolute best way of telling that a male Spotted Bowerbird is around is when a "Wedge-tailed Eagle" starts calling from the local bird bath. Male Spotted Bowerbirds are known for their outstanding mimicry.

Male Spotted Bowerbird, right, attracting the attention of a female
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, May 2026]

MALE

Close-up lateral portrait of a male Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2022]

Lateral view of a male Spotted Bowerbird at a local bird bath
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2023]

Lateral/ventral view of a male Spotted Bowerbird issuing its hissing call (photo courtesy of R. Druce)

Near-dorsal view of a male Spotted Bowerbird displaying its pink nuchal crest while looking sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2016]

Close-up dorsal view of a male Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2023]

Dorsal view of a male Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2008]

FEMALE

Birds shown below were sexed by the small size, or lack of, a pink nuchal crest, or by the presence of the resident male nearby (with his larger pink spot). At the angles shown (e.g., frontal,) sexing those birds by morphology is not possible.

Close-up frontal portrait of a female Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2022]

Close-up frontal view of a female Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2023]

Close-up frontal view of a female Spotted Bowerbird eating fruit of an introduced palm tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2023]

Close-up near-frontal view of a female Spotted Bowerbird eating fruit of an introduced palm tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2023]

Near-lateral view of a female Spotted Bowerbird; while the accompanying male bird made its usual racket this one followed silently
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2007]

Close-up lateral portrait of a female Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2026]

Close-up lateral view of a female Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2023]

Close-up lateral view of a female Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2023]

Close-up lateral view of a female Spotted Bowerbird eating fruit of an introduced palm tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2023]

Close-up lateral view of a female Spotted Bowerbird eating fruit of an introduced palm tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2023]

Lateral view of a female(?) Spotted Bowerbird; note the absence of a pink nuchal crest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2006]

Lateral view of a female Spotted Bowerbird looking away from the observer; only a few feathers of its nuchal crest are pink - the rest is dark-grey
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2007]

Near-dorsal view of a female Spotted Bowerbird looking sideways (photo courtesy of A. Allnutt)
[Lake Cargelligo, NSW, January 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a female Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2021]

Dorsal view of a female Spotted Bowerbird - this bird has no visible pink nuchal crest (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Near Narrabri, NSW, June 2021]

Sex unknown

In frontal or near-frontal views we do not know how to distinguish between males and females. In the photos displayed above the sex was determined by other means or from other photos taken at the same time.

Close-up frontal view of a Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]

Close-up frontal view of a Spotted Bowerbird looking sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]

Close-up lateral view of a Spotted Bowerbird (photo courtesy of R. Druce)

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Close-up frontal view of a juvenile Spotted Bowerbird looking sideways - note the pink gape
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2007]

Close-up lateral portrait of a juvenile(?) Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]

Close-up lateral view of a juvenile Spotted Bowerbird looking at the observer
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2025]

Close-up lateral view of a juvenile Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2025]

Close-up lateral view of a juvenile Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2007]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Spotted Bowerbird; note the absence of a pink nuchal crest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, September 2017]

Northern parts of range

Note how the birds shown here are darker overall than those displayed above, from the southern parts of their range.

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a Spotted Bowerbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, June 2021]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a Spotted Bowerbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, June 2021]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Spotted Bowerbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, June 2021]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Spotted Bowerbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, June 2021]

C. Linfoot found an unusually coloured Spotted Bowerbird at Hervey Range, near Townsville, QLD, in March 2023.

Close-up near-frontal view of a Spotted Bowerbird - note the unusual colouring that can only partly be attributed to light conditions, the terracotta bowl's colour and/or the bird's wetness (photo courtesy of C. Linfoot)
[Hervey Range, near Townsville, QLD, March 2023]

Direct comparison of the bird shown above with a normally coloured Spotted Bowerbird

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.

Breeding season: Sep - Jan

Eggs: 1 - 2

Incubation period: 21 - 22 days

Fledging age: ca. 21 days

Nest construction, incubation and care for the chicks is entirely the task of the female. The male is too busy with his bower and his attempts to attract as many females as possible to assist... Females keep their nests well away (at least 50 m) from bowers.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket

Material: Twigs

Height above ground: 2 - 15 m

Nest of a female Spotted Bowerbird in the dense regrowth of a previously storm-damaged eucalypt
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2024]

Lateral view of the owner of the Spotted Bowerbird nest shown above, feeding on a succulent plant just a short glide away from the nest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2024]

Nest of a female Spotted Bowerbird in the early stages of construction; this nest was later abandoned
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2007]

Closer look at the nest of a female Spotted Bowerbird in the early stages of construction; this nest was later abandoned
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2007]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 38 x 28 mm

Colour: Creamy, structured with brown streaks all over

Shape: Tapered oval

Spotted Bowerbird eggs inside the nest (photo courtesy of D. Johnston)
[Near Baradine, NSW, 1980ies]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary/roaming

Elementary unit: Solitary

Male Spotted Bowerbowerbirds are sedentary, females are roaming.

Spotted Bowerbirds are very curious birds; one can never be sure who is the observer - bird or photographer
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]

Frontal view of a Spotted Bowerbird inside a bower (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Coolmunda, near Inglewood, QLD, October 2024]

Near-dorsal view of a Spotted Bowerbird inside a bower; the fact that the bird's pink nuchal crest is very small may indicate that this is a female, come to inspect the goods, rather than a male working on its bower (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Coolmunda, near Inglewood, QLD, October 2024]

Male Spotted Bowerbird trying to pry loose an old, bent nail for use as a trinket for its bower
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2020]

Male Spotted Bowerbird trying to impress a female by presenting a pink oleander flower
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2020]

Male Spotted Bowerbird on its high perch, above the bower; from this location the bird announces his presence by calling
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2020]

spotbow_20200211.m4a

(NW NSW)

Contact calls (male)

© MD

While some other birds splash themselves wet when bathing, Spotted Bowerbirds fully immerse themselves in water. Knowing that, with wet plumage, they are vulnerable to attacks, male Spotted Bowerbirds use mimicry to warn other birds in the area of "danger", by using predators calls, especially those of Wedge-tailed Eagles, before entering a bird bath.

spotbow_20191230.m4a

(NW NSW)

Male mimicry (Wedge-tailed Eagle)

© MD

Spotted Bowerbirds know how to turn a bath into a shower; this male displays its pink nuchal crest in the process
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2016]

We have noticed that, while normally they always skip, male Spotted Bowerbirds - when trying to impress a female and thereby craning their neck while displaying their nuchal crest - can, and do, in fact walk. We have not seen any Spotted Bowerbird walking on alternating feet in any other circumstances yet.

Spotted Bowerbird basking in the sun, lifting one of its wings, in a manner observed by us for various types of doves and pigeons
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2013]

Spotted Bowerbird observed by us to pick up old leaves but then dropping them again
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2026]

Bowers

Male Spotted Bowerbirds try to attract as many females to their territory, and thus their bower, as they can. It appears that male Spotted Bowerbirds hone their building skills based on experience (see "additional information" link below).

Spotted Bowerbird bower with trinkets
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2007]

Lateral view of a female Spotted Bowerbird inspecting a trinket near the bower; it is clear from the precision and repeatability of the arrangements that the birds have a very accurate sense of symmetry and order
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2007]

Near-frontal view of a male Spotted Bowerbird carrying a new piece of decoration (the seed of a Cypress Pine) to its bower
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]

This male Spotted Bowerbird has no pink spot yet and its bower is very basic and unadorned - probably a young "start-up"; nevertheless, females were observed taking an interest
[Tiger Bay Wetlands, Warren, NSW, December 2016]

Additional information

Click here to visit a separate page describing the evolution of a bower over the course of years.

Food, Diet

Spotted Bowerbirds around our place have shown a taste for a varied diet - we have seen them stealing our mulberries, taking nectar from bottlebrush flowers, eating seeds of Kurrajong trees and cracking seeds of the White Cedar trees on the neighbouring property. They also like the fruit of the introduced Californian Peppertree.

Female Spotted Bowerbird with a partiality for tossed greens (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Near Narrabri, NSW, June 2021]

Spotted Bowerbird collecting fruits from a native shrub, Eremophila debilis
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2020]

Spotted Bowerbird collecting fruits from a native shrub, Eremophila debilis
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2020]

Frontal view of a Spotted Bowerbird with its forehead covered in pollen after taking nectar from a Grevillea robusta
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2024]

Frontal view of a Spotted Bowerbird that has caught a flying insect while still having its forehead covered in pollen after taking nectar from a Grevillea robusta
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2024]

Fruit of a Californian Peppertree; the red ones are ripe - we have seen Spotted Bowerbirds take these; since they did not appear in the bower as decoration, the birds will probably have eaten them

Here a Spotted Bowerbird has snapped off part of a mulberry
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]

Close-up near-frontal view of a female Spotted Bowerbird eating fruit of an introduced palm tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2023]

Close-up near-lateral view of a female Spotted Bowerbird eating fruit of an introduced palm tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2023]

Another surprise came when we observed two birds "trim" our parsley plant, which finally explained why it seemed to never grow in size... Later, this turned out not to be so surprising (see below).

What have we here, in this boring buffalo grass lawn?
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]

"Give it a try..." - female Spotted Bowerbird starting to peck at something in the lawn
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]

Indeed, fresh clover!
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]

Near-dorsal view of a female Spotted Bowerbird feeding on the flower of a plant similar to dandelion
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2011]

Spotted Bowerbird taking an interest in psyllids
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2012]

Near-dorsal view of a female Spotted Bowerbird feeding on nectar
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, March 2006]

Near-lateral view of a Spotted Bowerbird struggling with the stringy fruit of an introduced palm tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2023]

Spotted Bowerbird with the fruit of an introduced palm tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2023]

With the head turned, one can see that this is a male Spotted Bowerbird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2023]

Close-up lateral view of a Spotted Bowerbird visiting a bird bath for a drink of water
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 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.

While Spotted Bowerbirds are very good at mimicking a variety of other bird calls or sounds (such as e.g. mobile phone ring tones, mewing cats, etc.), they excel at mimicking raptor calls. Raptor call renditions can be good enough to mislead experts.

spotbow_20161116.mp3	(NW NSW)	Contact call (arrival)	© MD
spotbow_20200211.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (male)	© MD
spotbow_20170907.m4a	(NW NSW)	Antics at bower (male)	© MD
spotbow_20170907_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Antics at bower (male)	© MD
spotbow_20140108.mp3	(NW NSW)	Antics at bower (male)	© MD
spotbow_20250424.m4a	(NW NSW)	Male approaching bird bath	© MD
spotbow_20210312.m4a	(NW NSW)	Male showing female food source	© MD
spotbow_20240101.m4a	(NW NSW)	Male trying to impress female (incl. mimicry)	© MD
spotbow_20220923.mp3	(NW NSW)	Warning calls (human near bower)	© MD
spotbow_20230803.mp3	(NW NSW)	Warning calls (human near bower)	© MD
spotbow_20191230.m4a	(NW NSW)	Male mimicry (Wedge-tailed Eagle)	© MD
spotbow_20200224.m4a	(NW NSW)	Mimicry (Wedge-tailed Eagle) + departure	© MD
spotbow_20240528.m4a	(NW NSW)	Various incl. mimicry (Wedge-tailed Eagle)	© MD
spotbow_20180217.m4a	(NW NSW)	Mimicry (Gr.-cr. Babbler, Austr. Raven); contact call	© MD
spotbow_20180613.m4a	(NW NSW)	Mimicry (Pied Butcherbird) + contact calls	© MD
spotbow_20210712.m4a	(NW NSW)	Mimicry (White-winged Chough)	© MD
spotbow_20191021.m4a	(NW NSW)	Mimicry (fox)	© MD
spotbow_20150120.mp3	(NW NSW)	Investigating recorder	© MD

We have also recorded the wing beat of a Spotted Bowerbird.

spotbow_20240309.m4a

(NW NSW)

Departure

© MD

More Spotted 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.