Great Bowerbird

Chlamydera nuchalis

Arranges objects in a size gradient that fools the female into a forced-perspective optical illusion. Built by a bird.

Population: Not numerically quantified by IUCN/BirdLife; described as locally to fairly common, population trend suspected stable, based on extremely large range (~2,550,000 km² EOO)
Habitat: Rainforest edges, drier eucalypt forest and woodland, riverine woodland, monsoon forest margins, and mangroves; also parks, gardens, and suburbs, typically near water, sea level to about 600 m elevation
Fun fact: Male Great Bowerbirds build an avenue-style bower and deliberately arrange grey stones and bones on its display court by size — smallest closest to the avenue — creating a forced-perspective optical illusion (documented by Kelley & Endler, 2012) that makes the male appear larger and more attractive to visiting females.
Range: Northern Australia, from the Kimberley/Broome area across the Top End of the Northern Territory and Cape York Peninsula, south through Queensland to around Mount Isa and Townsville; two recognized subspecies (nuchalis and orientalis)
Diet: Omnivorous: fruits, flowers, nectar, seeds, green vegetable matter, invertebrates, and food scraps; nestlings fed mostly grasshoppers
Size: 0.35 m

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