Great Bowerbird (Chlamydera nuchalis)
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Great Bowerbird

Chlamydera nuchalis (Jardine & Selby, 1830)

33–38 cmLength200 gWeight

The great bowerbird (Chlamydera nuchalis) is a common and conspicuous resident of northern Australia, from the area around Broome across the Top End to Cape York Peninsula and as far south as Mount Isa and Townsville.

Busiest months: July–October · Most records: Australia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Great Bowerbird has been recorded at 38 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Broome Bird ObservatoryAustralia4,545 records
  2. Carlyle Gardens Retirement Resort, TownsvilleAustralia2,422 records
  3. Townsville Town Common Conservation ParkAustralia1,284 records
More places
  1. Katherine Wastewater Treatment PlantAustralia542 records
  2. Cumberland DamAustralia489 records
  3. Broome South Wastewater Treatment PlantAustralia474 records
  4. JulattenAustralia376 records
  5. Roebuck Plains StationAustralia297 records
  6. Bushland BeachAustralia272 records
  7. Tyto WetlandsAustralia218 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Australia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The great bowerbird (Chlamydera nuchalis) is a common and conspicuous resident of northern Australia, from the area around Broome across the Top End to Cape York Peninsula and as far south as Mount Isa and Townsville. Favoured habitat is a broad range of forest and woodland, and the margins of vine forests, monsoon forest, and mangrove swamps.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Great Bowerbird?

The Great Bowerbird is about 33–38 cm long and weighs around 200 g.

Where does the Great Bowerbird live?

Its breeding range: Australasia: northern Australia. It is most often recorded in Australia.

When is the best time to see the Great Bowerbird?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July, August, September and October (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Great Bowerbird endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Great Bowerbird as Least Concern.

What does the Great Bowerbird eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Great Bowerbird in?

It belongs to the family Bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
33–38 cm
Weight
200 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Omnivore
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
173 mm
Tail
142 mm
Bill
36 mm
Tarsus
48 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Australasia: northern Australia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Bowerbirds Ptilonorhynchidae
Genus
Chlamydera

Other birds in the genus Chlamydera

Western BowerbirdWestern BowerbirdChlamydera guttataSpotted BowerbirdSpotted BowerbirdChlamydera maculataYellow-breasted BowerbirdYellow-breasted BowerbirdChlamydera lauterbachiFawn-breasted BowerbirdFawn-breasted BowerbirdChlamydera cerviniventrisOchre-breasted CatbirdOchre-breasted CatbirdAiluroedus stoniiWhite-eared CatbirdWhite-eared CatbirdAiluroedus buccoidesTan-capped CatbirdTan-capped CatbirdAiluroedus geislerorumGreen CatbirdGreen CatbirdAiluroedus crassirostrisSpotted CatbirdSpotted CatbirdAiluroedus maculosusBlack-eared CatbirdBlack-eared CatbirdAiluroedus melanotis
Great Bowerbird

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by KristenM. ↗

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