The Vogelkop Bowerbird

The Bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchidae) is an incredibly fascinating species of bird for its very unique behaviour when impressing a mate. The Bowerbird builds an impressive structure made up of twigs, and decorates the entrance and the walls of the structure using found objects, fruits, and charcoal.

The Vogelkop Bowerbird (Amblyornis inornata), in particular, builds a little hut (also described as a maypole), completely uncanny to huts we build ourselves. A trail of beautiful colours leads to the entrance, bundles of red leaves, pink fruits, blue feathers, and (sadly) found bits of colourful plastic. When I first saw the hut of a bowerbird, I was in awe, speechless, to see one of the most beautiful creations in nature. And to highlight that word, creation; creating is something we so often believe humans are special for, the unique trait that makes us human and a higher being compared to the creatures we share Earth with, but more and more do we find that it is not a human thing, creativity is a thing of nature. 

​

When I wanted to start a virtual gallery of ecological art, I thought back to when I discovered the Bowerbird and how it blew my mind, and also how it confirmed the idea that we are not separate to nature, we share this planet in many ways that are deeper to what we first conclude, and we are incredibly influenced by this planet. We share life with others, not just physically but also in our experiences and behaviour.