In my dictionary, art is defined as the human effort to, among other things, imitate the work of nature. It would seem to me, then, that the world we live in and every natural element of it is a ...

Charles Darwin scratched his head over the purpose of bowers, the carefully tended sex dens of the bowerbird. But few scientists had conducted studies of these ornate constructions and their earnest ...

(Phys.org) —A trio of researchers in Australia has found that there is more to bowerbird bowers and colored objects used by the males than has been previously thought. In their paper published in ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American The article I discuss below came out last ...

If elaborate decor fails to please her, perhaps she will fall for a trick used in châteaux gardens, Las Vegas casinos, and the Parthenon in Athens. At least, that is the approach taken by male ...

In many species of birds, the males are far showier than the females. Males of some species might possess colorful plumage or exaggerated physical features to catch a female’s eye, while males of ...

Male spotted bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus maculatus) build and defend a structure of sticks and straw—the bower. They decorate these nests with colorful objects to attract mates during the breeding ...

So-called bowerbirds are known to build elaborate branch-and-vine structures to attract their mates. Now, new research shows that this family of birds may also be accidental gardeners. Subscribe to ...

The sexual success of the male spotted bowerbird depends on his gardening skills. In his patch of forest, where he displays to mates, he cultivates a small fruiting shrub called the ‘bush tomato’, ...