Great Bowerbird Bower Decoration Data from Urban and Rural Habitats

Male great bowerbirds in urban areas construct bowers with larger, more varied, and more chromatic decorations, often using anthropogenic materials like glass and plastic. The dataset, 1.4 MB in size, quantifies these decoration appearances from the perspective of a female bowerbird. Caitlin Evans published the data under a CC-BY-4.0 license on figshare in May 2026.

Use Cases

• Compare decoration color properties like chroma between urban and rural habitats based on quantified appearance data.
• Analyze male preference for anthropogenic versus natural decorations based on choice test results.
• Model the relationship between decoration size, color variation, and potential reproductive success signals.
• Investigate the availability and use of specific decoration materials like fruits, sticks, glass, and plastic.

Strengths

• Dataset is 1.4 MB, indicating a manageable size for analysis.
• Includes data from a controlled choice test on male decoration preference.
• Quantifies decoration appearance from a female bowerbird's visual perspective.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

Caitlin Evans via figshare.

Collection Method

Quantification of bower decoration appearance in urban and rural habitats, supplemented by a male choice test.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-18 15:40:43; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Urban and rural habitats, specific location unknown.