  Humans are far from the only animals to value romantic ambiance. In fact, compared to the Vogelkop bowerbirds of New Guinea, even our most resplendent candlelit dinners smack of amateurism. Each male bowerbird is a troubadour, dancer and artist — all talents he'll need in order to woo a mate.
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Watch "Vogelkop Bowerbirds Display Treasures"
CREATING A ROMANTIC ATMOSPHERE
At the center of the male Vogelkop bowerbird's courtship strategy is his bower, a structure that resembles an outdoor stage. The birds construct, maintain and defend the bowers purely for mating, returning year after year to redecorate them with a variety of lavish designs.
The birds decorate bowers with everything from flowers to dung pellets. In filming the sequence, the
Life crew encountered drastically different fashions.
"The two birds exhibited unique tastes," assistant producer Stephen Lyle said. "Even though they were in the same place, they were choosing different items. One used orange flowers, red flowers, some orange fungi, red berries and some black beetle wings. The neighboring bird was quite different. He had blueberries, charcoal, black mushrooms and a pile of deer dung."
But there's more to snaring a bowerbird mate than merely maintaining an impressive love den. The male bowerbirds are also musicians, though more like a human DJ than a composer. Excellent mimics, they reproduce various sounds from the surrounding environment and weave them into a seductive aural tapestry. The more accurate the mimicry and complex the birdsong, the more likely they are to lure in a mate.
Continue: What to Look For in a Mate
