Tooth-billed Bowerbird

Overview

The tooth-billed bowerbird, also known as the stagemaker bowerbird, is a monotypic passerine bird in the family Ptilonorhynchidae. It is the only species in the genus Scenopoeetes and is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Medium-sized and stocky, measuring approximately 27 cm long.
• Olive-brown plumage with brown-streaked buffish white underparts.
• Distinctive serrated bill, grey feet, and a brown iris.
• Males and females look similar, though females are slightly smaller.

Habitat

Endemic to the mountain forests of northeast Queensland and Cape York Peninsula in northeast Australia. It inhabits a limited range within this region of the continent.

Diet

Its diet consists mainly of fruits and young leaves of forest trees.

Did you know?

Males build a 'stage-type bower' decorated with fresh green leaves that have their pale undersides facing up, a display that earned the bird its alternative name, stagemaker.