Spotted Bowerbird Chlamydera maculata Scientific name definitions

29 cm; male 125–150 g, female 124–162 g. Has variable warm buff head striated and streaked with warm greyish, forecrown feathers having blackish margins, a few elongate central crown feathers finely tipped silvery white; erectile filamentous pink nuchal crest (with pink-orange highlights), directly below which a discrete patch (or "halter") of plain brown; upperparts , including upperwing-coverts and tail, variably blackish-brown with extensive terminal and/or subterminal amber to clay-coloured feather spotting, which becomes paler (to buff or dirty white) on tertials, secondaries, some primaries and rectrices; fine outer edges of flight-feathers pale buff, remainder being paler blackish-brown than upperparts; chin, throat, ear-coverts and breast tawny-olive to buff, finely streaked and (mostly) barred with dusky warm greyish; rest of underparts pale buff to cream-coloured, scalloped and barred drab greyish, a dilute pale yellowish wash over lower belly and undertail, more obvious barring on flanks, thighs and undertail-coverts; iris dark brown; bill blackish; legs olive-brown. Sexes alike, but female crest varies from non-existent through to complete. Juvenile has heavy pale central feather streaks on nape; immature male mostly like adult female, but larger pale tips on primaries, more pointed rectrices, and crest (when present) smaller than adult's; subadult crest remains smaller than that of adult.

Interior of Queensland S of 20° S (except extreme W & SW) and interior of W & C New South Wales (except extreme W border country) S to extreme NW Victoria, in E Australia.

Bower-advertisement song, courtship and other calls  of male loud and harsh churrings , also vocal avian mimicry (and imitation of human-made sounds). Mimicry of calls of predatory birds given by male at bower and by distressed female at nest in presence of people or other potential predators; foraging birds may mimic. Courtship accompanied by various hissing, crackling and ticking vocalizations.

Season prolonged over range, Jul–Mar, peak of egg-laying Oct–Feb; display season Apr–Jan, peak Jul–Nov. Polygynous, promiscuous male building and decorating avenue bower ; female builds and attends nest alone. Non-territorial except for defence of bower sites; average inter-bower distance 1–2 km; bower-owning males have larger crest than that of other individuals, and greater crest area proved best predictor of an individual male's status (but crest size did not correlate with mating success among bower-owners). Traditional bower sites can persist for 10–20 years, and individual adult males may remain at a site for 5–6 years or more; two bowers were each built at same site for at least 16 years; bowers rebuilt each season under same bush, on same spot or immediately nearby, or under adjacent bush, and sites of former bowers indicated by accumulations of pebbles or bones remaining long after bower structure disappeared (at one site remains of eight former bowers within 50 m of active one). Bower large, with wide avenue, outside basal walls of sticks and remainder of grass stems, mean dimensions of twelve bowers 48 cm wide and 34 cm high externally, avenue 59 cm long and 20 cm wide, platform extension beyond avenue on average 118 cm (Bullamon Plains, in Queensland), avenues orientated mostly E-W, but variation across range; adult male spends more than 50% of daylight time at bower site; bower decorations (up to c. 2000) vary geographically; include snail shells, bleached bones, water-worn pebbles and many other items, including human-made ones; "painting" of bower by male recorded, and theft of decoration and bower destruction recorded. Courtship involves central and peripheral displays, in former the male standing among decorations adjacent to bower and in latter male posturing while running around bower in wide circles, both involving raising/expanding of lilac crest; four conspicuous central display postures described, Upright, Raised-wings, Sideways Crest-presentation and Forward Crest-presentation, given in any order and accompanied by various vocalizations; two other postures, Rooster Pose and Penguin Pose, performed by a male as he moves away from bower. Nest a bulky, loose foundation of dead twigs and sticks, and egg-cup of fine twiglets, sometimes with dried grass stalks, most built 3–12 m above ground in tree or bush; mean distance of 47 active nests from nearest active bower 400 m; habitual reuse of nest-site or nesting tree over consecutive years not unusual. Clutch 1–3 eggs  , mostly 2, possibly laid on alternate days; no information on incubation period; brooding ceases when nestlings 14–15 days old (irrespective of brood size), nestling period at one nest 21 days. Longevity to at least 11–13 years.