Small Nearest-neighbour Distances Between Bowers in the Great Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis

Abstract

This study documents the mean nearest-neighbour distance (NND) for 13 active bowers of the Great Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis at Mary Valley Station, Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. Mean NND for the 13 bower sites was 396 m (range: 177–1454 m), the lowest recorded to date for this species. It is possible that the mean NND is so low because most bowers were relatively close to the homestead buildings, where resources may have been unusually abundant. Further research into the determinants of intraspecific variation in mean NND is required.