Golden Bowerbird

23-25 cm. Smallest bowerbird. Male: glossy golden olive above, with yellow erectile patches on crown, nape. Throat/underparts golden yellow. Female: olive-brown above, ashy grey below; tail shorter; bill brown; eye yellow; legs black. Immature: like female; eye brown; imm. males tinged golden. Singles, pairs: takes fruit, insects, among foliage, on ground. Bower: maypole-type; largest of any Aust. bowerbird: two columns of sticks up to 3 m tall, joined at base, built around vertical saplings. Between columns is a display-perch, where bird places clusters of lichen, pale cream flowers. Male frequents bower Sept.-Jan.; preening, calling, arranging decorations, displaying in spectacular hovering, posturing on vines, trunks: crest, wings raised, tail fanned; head jerking, or thrust forward to meet tail.