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Bird attempts to woo mate with a love heart, gets a nasty surprise

Nature's a cruel place.

Sam Haysom

on December 12, 2016

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

LONDON -- If there's one thing this series of Planet Earth II has taught us, it's that life is never plain sailing in the animal kingdom.

That goes for romance, too.

During the final episode of the series on Sunday, Attenborough narrated a Great Bowerbird's attempt to charm a partner on a golf course in Townsville, Australia.

Basically, the Bowerbird is a collector: he gathers random objects (the shinier the better) around his nest, spends ages arranging them, and then hopes a visiting female will be suitably impressed by the display.

The bird in Sunday's clip was so damn romantic he even stole a red heart to woo any potential visitors.

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People were impressed with the bird's efforts.

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Sadly, things didn't go according to plan.

After showcasing his possessions to a visiting bird and having no luck, our plucky hero finally resorted to his glossiest prize: the red heart.

"But he's made a mistake," said Attenborough. "This is not a female, but a young male who hasn't yet developed that head crest -- and he's making off with the scarlet heart!"