Tooth-billed Bowerbird Scenopoeetes dentirostris Scientific name definitions

27 cm; male 132–199 g, female 157–182 g. Drably plumaged cryptic brownish bowerbird with bill adapted for leaf-eating (folivory); specialized notches and cusps (or "teeth") on cutting edges of lower mandible fitting into reciprocal indentations in closed upper mandible. Male has head and entire upperparts brown-olive, with fine eyering of rust-coloured feathers; ear-coverts finely streaked dilute cinnamon (paler feather centres); leading edges of flight-feathers and wing-coverts paler, more cinnamon-brown, bases and proximal inner webs of primaries horn-coloured, remainder of primaries and entire secondaries pale brownish-olive; throat dirty buff, variably smudged and streaked with pale cinnamon-grey horn, underparts dirty whitish, heavily streaked brownish-olive, undertail-coverts barred fuscous; iris dark deep brown, almost blackish; bill blackish, paler mandible tips and cutting edges, mouth interior blackish to black; legs variably mid-grey. Sexes alike, female may be on average slightly heavier than male, and mouth yellowish to pinkish-flesh. Newly fledged juvenile is slightly downy grey on head, has breast and throat buff with grey markings, mantle dark olive-grey, upperwing-coverts olive-brown, edged rufous, primaries grey, outer webs edged brown, iris grey, bill grey with darker tip, mouth pale orange, legs light grey; immature male mouth colour as for adult female, rectrices more pointed terminally, and conspicuously paler ochreous leading edges of flight-feathers and upperwing-coverts; male takes at least 4 years to gain black mouth, subadult male mouth partly blackish to black.

Wet tropics of NE Queensland (from Big Tableland S to Mt Elliot), in NE Australia.

Upland rainforests, typically at 600–900 m, occasionally higher, to 1600 m; in winter months also lower, 350 m and sometimes to sea-level. Traditional court sites mostly on hilltops and contiguous slopes or ridges, less densely on steep slopes, flatter areas dissected by creeks, typically in undisturbed rainforest but also in adjacent disturbed rainforest and in acacia (Acacia) regrowth forest.

Presumed mainly resident; during winter months some individuals, possibly immatures, descend to as low as sea-level.

During display season eats mainly fruits, with some flowers, stems, leaves and animals (mostly arthropods); in winter months mostly leaves and succulent stems. Nestling diet fruits and insects, particularly beetles (Coleoptera). Forages by searching in canopy for fruits; also sallies and hawks termites (Isoptera) and cicadas. Uses mandibles to manipulate leaf pieces skilfully into compact wads, before mandibulating, or "chewing", them and then ingesting food. Feeds alone or with other fruit-eating birds, including other bowerbird species.

Male gives loud advertisement vocalizations (single squeal, screech and "chuck" notes, continuous babble and mimicry) from perches above display court; excellent mimic, at least 40 other bird species, fruit-bats (Pteropodidae), frogs, crickets (Orthoptera) and cicadas (Cicadidae) imitated. Quieter courtship subsong given together with vocal mimicry of avian and other sounds. Silent in austral winter.

Season Sept–Jan, peak of egg-laying Nov–Dec; display season starts Aug–Sept (earlier if fruits abundant), peak Oct–Dec (when male attendance on average more than 60% of daylight hours), wet-season rain (Jan–Mar) ends court attendance, but some brief post-moult activity Feb–Apr. Polygynous, promiscuous male seasonally clears and decorates terrestrial court; female builds and attends nest alone. Traditional court sites clumped and may form exploded lek, average inter-court distance 50–68 m, fidelity to single court site by individual adult male 20 years or more; court up to c. 2 x 4 m, encompassing base of at least one display tree trunk and decorated with up to c. 180 fresh leaves (placed paler underside uppermost), recleared each season; leaf theft by rival males common; average home range of four adjacent court-attending males 9·5 ha (mean overlap between them 50%), males travelled average of c. 60 m from court to forage and to steal or harvest leaves, and up to c. 400 m to creeks to drink or bathe. Courtship by male involves hiding behind display trunk and giving subsong of mimicry (Vocal display), followed by vigorously animated posturing and vocalization (Visual display) as male rushes across court to female; if she holds her ground in face of this advance, male mates upon reaching her. Nest sparse with stick (sometimes orchid stem) foundation, egg-cup lining of finer twigs, built c. 8–27 m above ground in densely foliaged vine tangle; two active nests were c. 50 m from active traditional court sites. Clutch 1–2 eggs, mostly 2; no information on incubation and nestling periods; female performs display to distract predators; a juvenile still being fed by parent in Apr. One male lived for at least 19 years and another for 20 years after capture, former discernibly immature in appearance for at least 4 years and adult for 15 more, latter was adult when marked and thus lived to more than 24 years old; average annual survival rate and life expectancy over 19 consecutive seasons for 24 males in Paluma Range 90% and 9·4 years, respectively.

Not globally threatened. Restricted range species: present in Queensland Wet Tropics EBA. Common throughout small range; surviving habitat fully protected. In Paluma Range, traditional court sites relatively densely clumped in optimal habitats, where c. 2 courts/ha and inter-court distance 60 m, but more dispersed on less favoured topography, where less than 1 court/ha and courts more than 100 m apart. Selective logging results in reduction, by one third, of numbers of courts attended by males.