BIRDS-OF-PARADISE ON THE ISLANDS OF INDONESIA

In Indonesia you can find bird-of-paradise in Kepala Burung and the north coast of Pulau Yapen in Papua, the Aru island in the Moluccas, on Waego, Missol, Batanta and Salawati islands off the coast of Sorong, in arts of the Teluk Cendarawasih. Trips to look for them can be organized in Biak, Jayabura, and Sorong.

One of the best places to find birds-of-paradise birds is Raja Ampat. The two species there — the Red Bird of Paradise and the Wilson’s Bird of Paradise. These two beautiful birds are found on the islands of Waigeo and Batanta. They are not found on New Guinea and are endemic to Raja Ampat.

The trumpet manucode (Phonygammus keraudrenii) is one of the plainer birds-of-paradise. Also known as the trumpet bird, it is named after its powerful and loud trumpeting calls. The bird's windpipe loops around its chest. As it get older it develops more loops and produces deeper and deeper calls. The trumpet manucode is widely distributed throughout lowland rainforests of northern Cape York Peninsula in Australia, New Guinea and the Aru Islands. This species is monogamous.

Greater Birds-of-Paradise

Greater birds-of-paradise (Paradisaea apoda) are found in the lowlands and hill forests of southwest New Guinea and Aru Islands of Indonesia. They mainly feed on fruits, seeds and small insects. Greater bird-of-paradise are a symbol of the soul and eternal life among the islands where they are found. [Source: "Ring of Fire" by Lawrence and Lorne Blair, Bantam Books, New York]

Carl Linnaeus named the species Paradisaea apoda — "legless bird-of-paradise" — because the early specimens that reach Europe were prepared without wings or feet by local New Guinean people. This led to the belief that these birds were visitors from paradise that were kept aloft by their beautiful plumes and never touched the earth until the died.

Greater birds-of-paradise are not endangered. They are fairly common throughout their native range. They are listed as a species of Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they are in Appendix II, which lists species not necessarily threatened with extinction now but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled. /=\

Lesser Birds-of-Paradise

Lesser birds-of-paradise (Paradisaea minor) are medium-sized birds up to 32 centimeters-long, excluding central tail wires that males have, and are maroon-brown with a yellow crown and brownish-yellow upper back. Males have a dark emerald-green throat, a pair of long tail-wires and are adorned with ornamental flank plumes which are deep yellow at their base and fade outwards into white. Females are maroon with a dark-brown head and whitish underparts. They resemble larger greater birds-of-paradise, but the male of that species has a dark chest, whereas the female is entirely brown (no whitish underparts). [Source: Wikipedia, Australia Museum[

Lesser birds-of-paradise are found throughout northern New Guinea, and the nearby islands of Misool and Yapen in Indonesia. On New Guinea they range from Bird's Head Peninsula (Vogelkop) in West Papua, Indonesia eastward as far as mouth of Gogol River, upper Ramu River, and along the north-west coast of Huon Peninsula in easterm Papua New Guinea. They can be found in lowland and hill forest, swamp forest, forest edges and secondary growth and can adapt to human-modified environments up to elevations of 1550 meters (5085 feet). Their diet consists mainly of fruits and insects.

They are not endangered and are fairly widespread and common. They are listed as a species of Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they are in Appendix II, which lists species not necessarily threatened with extinction now but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled. /=\

Standardwings

Standardwing bird-of-paradise

Standardwings (Semioptera wallacii) are also known as Wallace's standardwing. They make up a species of birds-of-paradise and are the only member of monotypic genus Semioptera. George Robert Gray of the British Museum named this species in 1859 in honor of Alfred Russel Wallace, British naturalist and author of The Malay Archipelago, who in 1858 was the first European to describe the bird. There are two subspecies: 1) Semioptera wallacii halmaherae (Salvadori, 1881); and 2) Semioptera wallacii wallacii (Gray, 1859). Standardwings feed mainly on insects, other arthropods and fruits. [Source: Wikipedia]

Standardwings are the westernmost species of the true birds-of-paradise. They are endemic to North Maluku province in eastern Indonesia and found on the islands of Halmahera, Bacan, and Morotai. Birds-of-paradise were introduced to Europe by members of Ferdinand Magellan's first circumnavigation of the Earth. When the voyagers were at Tidore in December 1521, they were offered a gift of beautiful dead birds by the ruler of Bacan to give to the King of Spain. Based on the circumstances and description of the birds in Antonio Pigafetta's account of the voyage, they were likely standardwings.

Standardwings are medium-sized birds, about 28 centimeters long and are olive-brown in color. Males have a gloss violet-and-lilac colored crown and emerald green breast-shield. Their most striking features are their two pairs of long white plumes coming out from the bend of the wing that can be raised or lowered at the bird's will. Unadorned olive-brown females are smaller but have a longer tail than the males. Standardwings are polygamous. Males gather and perform a spectacular aerial display, which features "parachuting" with wings, wing "standards" fluttering above its back. and the spreading of their vivid green breast shield

Twelve-Wired Birds-of-Paradise

Twelve-wired birds-of-paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus) are sole members of the genus Seleucidis. Found in flat lowlands and swamp forests throughout New Guinea and Salawati Island, Indonesia, they are common enough to be classified as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and placed in Appendix II of CITES. They are relatively easy to breed in captivity. The first successful captive breeding program was at Singapore's Jurong Bird Park, in 2001. Their diet consists mainly of fruits, insects and other arthropods. Occasionally they consume frogs and nectar.[Source: Wikipedia]

Twelve-wired birds-of-paradise are medium-sized birds, 33 centimeters (13 inches) in length and are velvet black and yellow in color. Males have red irises, a long black bill and rich yellow plumes along their flanks. From the rear of these plumes emerge twelve blackish, wire-like filaments, which bend back near their bases to sweep forward over the bird's hindquarters. Females are brown with black-barred buffy underparts. Their feet are strong, large-clawed and pink in color.

Male Twelve-wired birds-of-paradise display on an exposed vertical perch with their breast-shield flared. The display dance is called a “wire-wipe Display”. It is performed to attract females and features them showing their flank plumes and bare pigmented thighs. Males use their 12 flank plume ‘wires’ to make contact with the female by brushing across the female's face and foreparts.

Magnificent Birds-of-Paradise

Magnificent birds-of-paradise

Magnificent birds-of-paradise (Cicinnurus magnificus or Diphyllodes magnificus) are fairly common birds-of-paradises that live in hill and lower montane forests, rarely lowland forests, mainly up to 1400 meters on mainland New Guinea and Yapen and Salawati Islands of Indonesia. Their primarily eat fruits, insects and spiders.

Magnificent birds-of-paradise are widespread and fairly common throughout their large range and thus are classified as a species of Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they are in Appendix II, which lists species not necessarily threatened with extinction now but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled.

Magnificent birds-of-paradise reach lengths of around 26 centimeters (ith extended tail feathers) and have very complex plumage. Males have seemingly incandescent yellow wings, an iridescent-green breast shield, blue feet, and an elegant yellow mantle on their neck. Males also have two long, curved, blue-green sickle-like tail feathers. Females are comparatively drab olive-brown birds with black-barred buffy underparts.

Three subspecies are recognised: 1) D. m. magnificus (Pennant, 1781) found in Salawati (Raja Ampat Islands, northwest of New Guinea) and south Bird's Head Peninsula (northwest New Guinea); 2) D. m. chrysopterus Elliot, DG, 1873 – Yapen (Geelvink Bay islands, northwest New Guinea) and west, central New Guinea; and 3) D. m. hunsteini Meyer, AB, 1886 – east, southeast New Guinea

Wilson's Bird-of-Paradise

Wilson's birds-of-paradise (Cicinnurus respublica or Diphyllodes respublica) are endemic to Indonesia and live in hill and lowland rainforests up to 300 meters on Waigeo and Batanta Islands off West Papua. They eat fruits, insects, other arthropods and other small invertebrates such as lizards. Wilson's birds-of-paradise are classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and placed in CITES Appendix II. They are threatened by ongoing habitat loss, limited range and exploitation. [Source: Wikipedia]

The first footage of the Wilson's bird-of-paradise ever filmed was recorded in 1996 by David Attenborough for the BBC documentary Attenborough in Paradise. Attenborough got a male to appear by dropping leaves on the forest floor, which irritated the bird into clearing them away.

The controversial scientific name respublica was given to the species in 1850 by Charles Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon's nephew and a republican idealist. Bonaparte described the bird from a badly damaged trade specimen purchased by British ornithologist Edward Wilson. By doing this he beat John Cassin, who wanted to name the bird in honour of Wilson, by several months. Thirteen years later, in 1863, the German zoologist Heinrich Agathon Bernstein discovered the home grounds of the Wilson's bird-of-paradise in Waigeo Island.

Red Birds-of-Paradise

red bird-of-paradise

Red birds-of-paradise(Paradisaea rubra) are also known as cendrawasih merah. They measure up to 33 centimeters long, excluding tail feathers, and are brown and yellow with dark brown irises, grey legs and a yellow bill. Males have an emerald green face, a pair of elongated black corkscrew-shaped tail wires, dark green feather pompoms above each eye and a train of glossy crimson red plumes with whitish tips at either side of the breast. Males measure up to 72 centimeters long if their ornamental red plumes — that require at least six years to fully attain — are included. Females are smaller in size, with a dark brown face and lacking ornamental red plumes. Their diet consists mainly of fruits, berries and insects and other arthropods. [Source: Wikipedia, Australian Museum]

Red birds-of-paradise were depicted on the front side of 1992 edition of Indonesia 20000 Rupiah banknote. Endemic to Indonesia, they live in lowland rainforests on Waigeo, Gemien, Saonek and Batanta Islands in the Rajah Ampat group of West Papua. They share their home range with another bird-of-paradise, the Wilson's bird-of-paradise. Hybridisation between these two species is not recorded but is expected because it is recorded for many other birds-of-paradise. Their conservation status is Near Threatened. Thier population is relatively small and is in a restricted range, and is possibly declining due to habitat loss.

Red birds-of-paradise are polygynous. The breeding season is unknown but males display from at least July to September. Males display on traditional perches in leks. They converge on each other, and display in static postures and dance moves fanning and advertising wings, flank plumes and tail tapes. No nests from the wild have been. In captivity, females build and attend their nests alone. Incubation is14 to 17 days. The nestling period is 15 to 20 days.

King Bird-of-Paradise

King birds-of-paradise (Cicinnurus regius) are the smallest and one of the most vividly colored birds-of-paradise. Regarded as "living gem", they are approximately 16 centimeters long. Males are crimson and white with bright blue feet and green-tipped fan-like plumes on their shoulders. Their two elongated tail wires are decorated with emerald green disk feathers at their tips. The unadorned female is a brown bird with barring below. The first captive breeding of these birds was accomplished by Dr. Sten Bergman of Sweden in 1958.

King birds-of-paradise are distributed throughout lowland forests of mainland New Guinea and the nearby Aru, Misool, Salawati and Yapen Islands. The diet consists mainly of fruits and arthropods. Widespread and common throughout their large range, king birds-of-paradise are classified as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and places in CITES Appendix II. Two subspecies are recognised: 1) C. r. regius, found in south New Guinea and the west Papuan islands and Aru Islands (southwest of New Guinea); and 2) C. r. coccineifrons Rothschild, found in north, central, and east New Guinea, and Yapen Island (off northwest New Guinea)

Adult male king bird-of-paradise measure 16 to 19 centimeters (6.3–7.5 inches) and 31 centimeters (12.2 inches) if central rectrices are included. Females weigh about 36–59 grams (0.08–0.13 pounds) and males weigh 45–64 grams (0.10–0.14 pound). Breeding occurs at least during March through October. The open cup nest is built into a tree cavity (unique within the family), within which two eggs are laid. The female builds the nest and cares for the young without male help. In captivity, incubation lasts 17 days and the nestling period is 14 days.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated February 2025