Whosits and Whatsits Galore

As pretty and majestic as birds are, I find it difficult to sense much of an interspecies connection when I look into their rather steely eyes. Feeling connected is what makes me care, so I was recently excited to learn about an avian species Jared Diamond has called "the most intriguingly human of birds." The bowerbird, which lives in and near Papua New Guinea (like so many gems of evolutionary biology), is anthropomorphous to say the least.

Whereas many other birds sport flashy colors on their feathers to attract mates, bowerbirds are dull and brown like us. They must therefore accumulate their flashiness instead - also like us.

Males build elaborate huts, then decorate them with enormous collections of shiny and colorful trinkets. Depending on individual tastes they may choose to adorn their premises with piles of berries, stones, dead beetles, nice looking leaves, glass, brightly colored trash, and so on. The birds' collections are fastidiously arranged and maintained.

With their goods on display, the males await the arrival of females, whose role it is to assess their assorted items. On the basis of the aesthetic quality of a male's possessions, the female chooses whether to mate with him... or to fly on in search of sexier piles.

Photos by Tim Laman for National Geographic. More here.