decorative animals

[Frostbite]

I was having a somewhat heated discussion with a friend of mine about some animals using decoration for seducing the opposite sex. The only example I could find is a type of bird that builds a hanging nest and decorates it using feathers and other objects. I searched all over the net for pictures or articles but couldn't find crap.

Does anyone here know what bird I'm talking about, or has any other examples of animals that use decoration as a strategy for seducing the opposite sex? Some help would be appreciated for I am now losing my argument.

Thanks.

 

[Suezoled]

Bower birds do that. They build a nest, spit up blue berries to "paint" the nest, and collect shiny object, and blue objects. They even go so far as to wreck other male bird's nests to ruin their chances witth a female.

 

[Skeptical Greg]

To ad to Suezoled's post..


Satin Bower Bird

Adjacent to the bower, usually at the entrance, is a platform on which is placed a collection of coloured displaythings. The Satin Bower Bird has a preference for blue objects that match its own blue, satin-like plumage. Before Europeans arrived these consisted mainly of flowers, berries and feathers, but since then the Bird has had a field day with the caps of ball-point pens, crockery, rubber, clothing, paper, pegs and bottle tops.

 

[Keziah Mason]

Fish do it too.

Maybe not as fancy as the birdies, but it's still pretty impressive.

 

[Keziah Mason]

Here's an even better one:
http://www.nature.com/nsu/030217/030217-13.html
or
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1200/11_163/99187003/p1/article.jhtml

"Fish like flash, researchers have discovered. Give a male stickleback some shiny baubles and he'll decorate his nest with them - females prefer males with colourful abodes."

Male sticklebacks also try to steal baubles from other male sticklebacks.