bower bird

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The name of the Australian oscine passerine birds of the genera Ptilonorhynchus, Chlamydodera, etc., constituting with some authors a subfamily Ptilonorhynchinæ, of the family Oriolidœ. They are remarkable for building what are called bowers, runs, or playhouses, which they adorn with gay feathers, rags, bones, shells, and other white, bright, or conspicuous objects. There are several species of both the genera named; the best-known are the satin bower-bird, P. holosericeus, and the spotted hower-bird, C. maculata. The bowers are not the nests of the birds, but places of resort where they amuse themselves.

Wiktionary

1. n. A type of Australasian bird noted for building a large nest decorated with bright objects such as shells and glass.
2. n. A person who collects objects for display.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. 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.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. any of various birds of the Australian region whose males build ornamented structures resembling bowers in order to attract females