The Bowerbirds

Clifford & Dawn Frith, Eustace Barnes

The bowerbirds are confined to the great island of New Guinea and the island continent of Australia, and their immediately adjacent islands They are medium-sized birds, terrestrial, omnivorous, and largely solitary. They are unique in the avian world in that the males build elaborate 'bowers' - structures of sticks, grasses or other plant stems on or close to the ground for display and courtship, often incorporating colourful objects such as fruits, flowers, feathers, bones, stones, shells, insect skeletons, and numerous other natural (and human-made) objects.

8 specially-commissioned colour plates and 77 black-and-white drawings illustrating special features and behaviour, by Eustace Barnes. 416 pages.

Hardback £95.00 £84.99