Two male Satin Bowerbirds squaring off in a tree

During a walk yesterday afternoon, I heard a Satin Bowerbird up a tree. That’s not at all unusual here (NSW Far South Coast) as they’re resident birds. I’ve heard some bower advertising calls this season, but not a lot. In this case, it was the complicated rolling-burbling call I think of as typical for this species. I was surprised when I looked up to the top of the tree (bare branches above a canopy of lower branches) to see two all black birds. At least one was calling and hoping around – vaguely reminding me of Riflebird display, of all things. After a few minutes, an immature/female flew in and both adult males flew off. I’m guessing that this is some kind of a boundary “negotiation” behavior between adult males. Having never seen it before, I figured I’d confirm rather than assume. Thanks for any comments.


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