Tooth-billed Bowerbirds Scenopoeetes dentirostris select leaves of an introduced species as a novel court ornament following major habitat disturbance

Following major forest disturbance by Cyclone Larry in 2006, Tooth-billed Bowerbirds Scenopoeetes dentirostris commonly used leaves of the introduced Wild Tobacco Solanum mauritianum as court ornaments, whereas these leaves were very rarely used beforehand. Their use continued for up to 12 years, declining in parallel with their availability. Leaf traits considered likely to influence ornament choice (e.g. size, brightness, retention of colour) were investigated for tobacco and other commonly used plant species, but none of these traits clearly accounted for the patterns of leaf choice. Nor did observations support a cultural basis for leaf choice, with birds in widely separated groups using tobacco leaves. Observed longer-term shifts in leaf choice and the availability/use data lead to the suggestion that the increased abundance of tobacco plants after the cyclone may have triggered the use of its leaves as a ‘novel’ resource.