Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of various birds of the family Ptilonorhynchidae of Australia and New Guinea, the males of which build large elaborate structures of grasses, twigs, and brightly colored materials to attract females.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Alternative spelling of
bower bird .
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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The bird spends hours carefully sorting and arranging his collection, with each object in a specific place; if an object is moved while the bowerbird is away he will put it back in its place.
Archive 2008-08-01 The Nag 2008
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The regent bowerbird is enjoying his morning shower 50 metres up in the top of the quandong, meticulously grooming each gleaming feather.
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A human bowerbird, who or what could he invite with the display?
Beautifully Arranged 2009
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All adds up to less for more $, and attracting more bowerbird-types to Portland.
Portland's fake New York quest continues (Jack Bog's Blog) 2009
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A human bowerbird, who or what could he invite with the display?
Beautifully Arranged 2009
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The bowerbird, for example, the female stands around and watches the male build this fabulous nest that's completely useless.
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When Mr. Nag and I were first mating I likened his behaviour to that of the bowerbird.
Archive 2008-08-01 The Nag 2008
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Other species include the well-known gang-gang cockatoo Callocephalon fimbriatum, glossy black cockatoo Calyptorhynchus lathami, superb lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae, crimson rosella Platycercus elegans, kookaburra Dacelo gigas, and satin bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus violaceus.
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For one thing, her grandmother was an antiques dealer, a collector, a bowerbird of the human species.
The Forgotten Garden Kate Morton 2009
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For one thing, her grandmother was an antiques dealer, a collector, a bowerbird of the human species.
The Forgotten Garden Kate Morton 2009
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