Australia
SpeciesField NotesLog inDownload

Field notes

Stay in the loop

Get updates, new features, and Australian birding news.

By subscribing, I agree to receive BirdUp Australia updates, new features, and Australian birding news.

Australia
Download for iOSDownload for AndroidSpeciesField NotesRSSNewsletterBrandPrivacyTerms

BirdUp Australia Pty Ltd © 2026. Made in Australia for Australian birders.

  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Ptilonorhynchidae
  4. ›
  5. Chlamydera
  6. ›
  7. Great Bowerbird
Great Bowerbird
Photo · (c) Wolfgang Ahlmer, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Great Bowerbird

Chlamydera nuchalis(Jardine & Selby, 1830)

Updated 11 June 2026

Origin: Endemic
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Ptilonorhynchidae
Genus
Chlamydera

At a glance

The Great Bowerbird is a large bird, about 35–38 cm long, endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
35–38 cm
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Endemic
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Voice
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Great Bowerbird look like?

The Great Bowerbird is a large bird, about 35–38 cm long and weighing 153–265 g.

The great bowerbird is a common and conspicuous resident of northern Australia, from the area around Broome across the Top End to Cape York Peninsula and as far south as Mount Isa and Townsville. Favoured habitat is a broad range of forest and woodland, and the margins of vine forests, monsoon forest, and mangrove swamps.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
35–38 cm
Weight
153–265 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Great Bowerbird?

The Great Bowerbird is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

04 · Voice

What it sounds like

Call

jimchurches · Mareeba QLD 4880, Australia

Call

Karl Tattersall · Limmen (Proposed), AU-NT-YM, AU-NT, AU

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Great Bowerbird eat?

The Great Bowerbird feeds on fruit, foliage/herbs and terrestrial invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks or alone.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

6 photos

The BirdUp app

Log your next Great Bowerbird in the field

A pocket field journal for 850+ Australian birds. Offline-first, smart ID, and a lifelist that travels with you.

Get the appRead field notes
Spotted something wrong on this page? Report incorrect info

02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Great Bowerbird live in Australia?

The Great Bowerbird is endemic to Australia, recorded across 29 of Australia’s bioregions, with a core range spanning north Australia.

BreedingNorth Australia

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Passage
  • Vagrant
  • Resident

7 regions recorded