Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Bower bird

Bower bird ({not transcribed})

(Zoology) An Australian bird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus or Ptilonorhynchus holosericeus), allied to the starling. The male constructs singular bowers or playhouses of twigs and decorates them with bright-colored objects to attract females; the satin bird.

The name is also applied to other related birds of the same region, having similar habits; as, the spotted bower bird (Chalmydodera maculata), and the regent bird (Sericulus melinus).