Little is known about the peculiar habits of this bird which has a marked liking for colorful objects and for what seems to be gardening. The gardener-bird lives in forest clearings in New Guinea. It builds an elaborate nest shaped like a little hut and surrounds it with a sort of garden which it decorates with flowers, shells and various colorful objects. These objects are not just thrown together haphazardly: the gardener-bird very carefully arranges everything and tries it out in different patterns before deciding how the garden will look.

Related species of this bird can decorate the interior of their nests by painting them with colors which they make with their own saliva and various materials. Sometimes these birds even use ‘brushes’ made of small bunches of leaves.