#sericulus aureus

Reasons Ash is awesome: I asked for a bowerbird, and I am sent photos of a Flame Bowerbird (Sericulus aureus). 

The Flame Bowerbird, or Masked Bowerbird depending on which side of the subspecies debate you land on, lives in New Guinea, and it looks very different from most bowerbirds. Usually, a male bowerbird is fairly dark and sleek, but this guy is bold and shockingly orange! They still build bowers, long tunnels of sticks, to attract mates, and they have a fantastic, shoulder-roll-heavy mating dance that can also be used as a pick-me-up after a long day at human work.

A new variant has been added!

Masked Bowerbird (Sericulus aureus) © Ben Tsai蔡維哲

It hatches from black, bright, brown, colorful, golden, loud, orange, rasping, similar, and yellow eggs.

The Flame Bowerbird (Sericulus aureus)

The flame bowerbird is a rainforest bird distributed in and endemic to rainforests of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the most brilliantly colored bowerbirds. This bird is the first bowerbird described by naturalists, due to male’s exquisitely colored plumage. The Flame Bowerbirds named after the elaborate structures, or bowers, built and decorated with colorful objects by the males, bowerbirds…

Sericulus aureus

Sericulus translates into little row, while aureus means golden.

Family: Ptilonorhynchidae (Bowerbirds)

Fun Fact: "There are two distinct subspecies of Flame Bowerbird, Sericulus aureus ardens from southwestern New Guinea with orange face male and the nominated form of northwestern New Guinea, Sericulus aureus aureus with black face and black throat male." (Source)

Habitat: They are endemic to rainforests of Papau New Guniea and part of Indonesia. 

Ecosystem Role: They act as seed dispersers eating fruits, but also help control insect populations.