Bower decorations are good predictors of mating success in the spotted bowerbird

Variation in the mating success of males can often be predicted by considering measures of their exaggerated sexual traits. Male spotted bowerbirds Chlamydera maculata build and decorate elaborate structures—bowers—that function in mate choice. I show that numbers of certain decorations correlate with the mating success of the bower owner. Specifically, numbers of Solanum berries used as decorations, accurately predict variation in mating success over 2 years. I show a relationship between changes in rank berry number and changes in rank mating success. These predictive decorations differ from those shown to relate to mating success in another population of spotted bowerbirds, suggesting that the exact form of sexual display may differ between populations of the same species.