Back to Teachers Home

Flying Casanovas

Viewing Ideas

Before Watching

1. Remind students that behaviors are one type of adaptation. The bowerbird's behavior is determined in part by heredity and in part by experience. As students watch, have them take notes about how bowerbirds constructed their bowers. How were they built and decorated? How does the male try to make his bower appealing to the female?

After Watching

1. Have students list some of the things that the birds did to attract mates. What were the behaviors and the speculations about them? How would students devise additional experiments to verify or refute the speculations?

2. Many other animals also use many different ways to attract mates. What are some ways that other animals try to attract mates? What about people? Why might animals or people choose certain ways to court a mate?