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Tooth-billed Bowerbird (Scenopoeetes dentirostris) Alternate name(s): "Tooth-billed Catbird", "Stage-maker", "Leaf-turner" Aboriginal name(s): "wirranba" [ngadjon] Size: 26-28 cm Body mass: 130-200 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 Tooth-billed Bowerbirds are medium-sized. The plumage of both sexes is identical. The only difference is that females have a yellow-orange gape while males don't. The upperparts are homogeneously dark-brown, with lighter brown edge lining, primarily on the wing feathers and the tail. The underparts are coarsely streaked brown on off-white base. The eyes with dark-brown irises are surrounded by lighter-brown eye-rings. The strong, hooked bill is dark-grey. When opened, it reveals the presence of a "tooth" just inside the tip. Males, when calling, can reveal the black inside of the mouth. The legs and feet are grey.

Taxonomy, classification See Tooth-billed 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 Tooth-billed Bowerbird is available HERE . Tooth-billed Bowerbirds are endemic to Australia. Their range is restricted to the Atherton Tablelands in far-northern QLD. Tooth-billed Bowerbirds live in high-altitude (above 500 m) tropical rainforest, but may descend to lower altitudes during dry winters.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Both B. Hensen and M. Eaton report finding Tooth-billed Bowerbirds and a bower in Mount Lewis NP, near Burtons Ridge, QLD, in November 2018. M. Eaton report spotted a Tooth-billed Bowerbird at Paluma Rainforest, near Townsville, QLD, in September 2020. Another was spotted at Atherton, QLD, in June 2024. Next, the species was found at Lake Eacham, QLD, in October 2024.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Female Tooth-billed Bowerbirds, right, have an orange gape, while the bill of males is entirely black.

MALE

Full-frontal view of an adult male Tooth-billed Bowerbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Eacham, QLD, October 2024]

Frontal view of a male Tooth-billed Bowerbird looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Eacham, QLD, October 2024]

Frontal view of a male Tooth-billed Bowerbird looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Eacham, QLD, October 2024]

Frontal view of a male Tooth-billed Bowerbird looking sideways while issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Eacham, QLD, October 2024]

Frontal/ventral view of a male Tooth-billed Bowerbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Lewis NP, QLD, November 2018]

Near-lateral view of a male Tooth-billed Bowerbird looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Lewis NP, QLD, November 2018]

Near-frontal view of a male Tooth-billed Bowerbird issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Lewis NP, QLD, November 2018]

Near-lateral view of a male Tooth-billed Bowerbird issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Lewis NP, QLD, November 2018]

Lateral view of a male Tooth-billed Bowerbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Lewis NP, QLD, November 2018]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Tooth-billed Bowerbird looking sideways; note the orange gape
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Lewis NP, QLD, November 2018]

Near-lateral view of a female Tooth-billed Bowerbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Paluma Rainforest, near Townsville, QLD, September 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a female Tooth-billed Bowerbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Lewis NP, QLD, November 2018]

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 Tooth-billed Bowerbirds are sedentary, females are roaming.

Overview of a male Tooth-billed Bowerbird's "bower", which is more similar to the scrape of a male Superb Lyrebird than other bowerbirds' bowers (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Eacham, QLD, October 2024]

Closer look at a male Tooth-billed Bowerbird's "bower", which is more similar to the scrape of a male Superb Lyrebird than other bowerbirds' bowers (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Eacham, QLD, October 2024]

Telescopic view of a Tooth-billed Bowerbird's bower bowers (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mount Lewis NP, QLD, November 2018]

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.

tbbower_me_20200927.m4a	(N QLD)	Display songs	© ME
tbbower_me_20200927_4.m4a	(N QLD)	Various	© ME
tbbower_me_20200927_5.m4a	(N QLD)	Various	© ME
tbbower_me_20200927_6.m4a	(N QLD)	Various	© ME
tbbower_me_20200927_7.m4a	(N QLD)	Mimicry (Bower's Shrike-thrush)	© ME
tbbower_me_20200927_2.m4a	(N QLD)	?	© ME
tbbower_me_20200927_3.m4a	(N QLD)	?	© ME

More Tooth-billed 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.