BIRDS-OF-PARADISE IN WEST PAPUA (INDONESIA NEW GUINEA)

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[

Breeding range of the greater Bird-of-paradise (yellow) and the Raggiana bird-of-paradise (orange); the striped area is where hybrids and mixed leks occur

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. /=\

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.

King Bird-of-Paradise

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.

Arfak Astrapia

Arfak astrapia(Astrapia nigra) are large birds-of-paradise. Endemic to the Arfak Mountains in Vogelkop Peninsula, West Papua, they are black, with iridescent purple, green and bronze plumage. Males have a very long broad tail, velvety black breast feathers and extremely complex head plumage, with blue to purple velvety feathers that often appears black and cheeks with blue highlights. The nape to mantle cape is yellowish-green, the upper breast is dense velvety black with bordered iridescent coppery bronze, and the upper wings and huge graduated tail are black with purple iridescent sheen. Females have a black head. The remainder of their plumage is drab blackish brown, with iridescent blue sheen on the nape

Males are approximately 76 centimeters long, including their tail feathers, and females are 50 centimeters long. Their diet consists mainly of pandanus fruits. Males display upside down but it is not clear whether they display solitarily or in leks. The breeding season could be year year round; juveniles have been observed in July and August.

Arfak astrapia are not endangered in a large part because of the remote area where they live and their relatively undisturbed forest home. They 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. /=\

Western Parotia

Western parotia displaying

Western parotia (Parotia sefilata) are also known as Arfak parotia. They are a medium-sized birds-of-paradise, approximately 33 centimeters long, with a medium-length tail. Endemic to Indonesia and found only in the mountain forests of Vogelkop and the Wandammen Peninsula of Western New Guinea. The diet consists mainly of fruits such as figs, and arthropods. [Source: Wikipedia]

Widespread and common throughout their fairly remote range, they 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. /=\

Like other birds-of-paradise,western parotia are sexually dimorphic. Males have black plumage with an iridescent structurally colored golden-green breast shield and triangular silver feathers on its crown. It is adorned with elongated black plumes at the sides of the breast and three erectile spatulate head wires behind each eye. As with most member in the family, the female is unadorned and has brown plumage. The species is similar to Lawes's parotia (Parotia lawesii).

Bronze Parotia

Bronze parotia (Parotia berlepschi) are also known as Foja parotia, Berlepsch's parotia and Berlepsch's six-wired bird-of-paradise. They resemble and are often considered to be a subspecies of Carola's parotia, but it differs from the latter by having more heavily bronzed plumage and no eye rings. The specific scientific name commemorates a 19th-century German ornithologist Hans von Berlepsch. [Source: Wikipedia]

Bronze parotia are medium-sized bird, with black and bronze-tinged upperparts, conspicuous white flank plumes, iridescent coppery-greenish breast plumes, and six flag-tipped head wires. The duller female lacks the head wires, has finely dark-barred whitish underparts, brown upperparts, and rufous wings. Previously known only from four specimens, the home of these little known birds-of-paradise was located in 1985 by the American scientist Jared Diamond in the Foja Mountains of Papua, Indonesia. Diamond encountered only the female of this species. In December 2005, an international team led by ornithologist and Conservation International vice-president Bruce Beehler traveled to the unexplored areas of Foja Mountains and found bronze parotia along with other little known and new species. The first photographs of them were taken during this trip.

Greater Lophorina

Vogelkop lophorina male display

Greater lophorina(Lophorina superba) are also known as greater superb bird-of-paradise and Vogelkop lophorina. Vogelkop is Dutch and Indonesian name for the come from the Bird's Head Peninsula of northwest New Guinea. This species in the Paradisaeidae (bird-of-paradise) family. was considered the sole species in its genus until in 2017 when three species in the genus were recognized. There is still some debate — and confusion — about the species designations. One taxonomy calls Lophorina superba Vogelkop lophorina and uses the common name Greater lophorina to refer to Lophorina latipennis. [Source: Wikipedia, Australian Museum]

In any case, greater lophorina (Lophorina superba) are a small birds-of-paradise that mainly feed on fruit, insects and other arthropods. Adult males averages 26 centimeters long; females, 25 centimeters. Males are jet black with an iridescent green crown, blue-green breast cover and a long velvety black erectile cape covering their back. Their cape of elongated nape feathers fans out symmetrically when raised. Females are a reddish-brown bird with brownish barred buff below. Young look similar females.

Greater lophorina live patches scattered across northern and central New Guinea on both the Indonesian and Papuan New Guinea sides. They can be found in the central mountains, Vogelkop and Huon Peninsulas, Adelbert and Hunstein Mountains, and Mount Bosavi in mid to upper montane rainforests, disturbed forests, forest edges and patches in gardens and other cleared areas at elevations of 1000 to 2300 meters (3,300 to 7,545 feet), mainly at 1650 to 1900 (5415 to 6233 feet). They like the top of rainforest trees.

Vogelkop Lophorina— the New Bird-of-Paradise Species

Vogelkop lophorina (Lophorina niedda) are also known as crescent-caped lophorina, Vogelkop superb birds-of-paradise and curl-caped birds-of-paradise. They are a species of the Paradisaeidae (bird-of-paradise) family endemic to the Vogelkop (Bird's Head) Peninsula of northwest Indonesian New Guinea. First described in 1930 by Ernst Mayr, they were regarded as a subspecies of the superb bird-of-paradise (greater lophorina) but were elevated to the status of a full species in 2018 based on their striking black plumage, with feathers that absorb 99.95 percent of light, and behavioral differences, which are most visible during the courting male diplay, as shown in films made by Scholes and Timothy Laman of Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology.

The 2018 designation of Vogelkop lophorina as a separate species was also based on their geographic isolation from other lophorina populations. Distribution and habitat The Vogelkop lophorina is found in the mountains of Bird's Neck Peninsula, in Western New Guinea, Indonesia. They are typically found at heights of 1200-2000 meter (3940 to 6560). There are two known subspecies: L. n. niedda, found on the Wadammen Peninsula; and L. n. inopinata, found on the Doberai Peninsula. Like the great lophorina, the Vogelkop lophorina has some of the blackest coloring on Earth. The microscopic structure of their feathers absorbs almost 100 percent of the light hitting them. Both species have bright blue markings that form what look like cartoonish faces when they do their courtship dances.

Black Sicklebills

Black sicklebill

Black sicklebills (Epimachus fastosus) make up the largest bird-of-paradise species. Males are entirely black except for a fan of long iridescent blue feathers that extend out from either side of their breast. Because they lives in such remote parts of the mountains their courtship display has only recently been observed. The sicklebill's diet consists mainly of fruits and arthropods.

Black sicklebills are found in midmountain forests in the Vogelkop (Bird’s Head) region and Wandammen Peninsula of northwest New Guinea in Indonesia, and central New Guinea at elevations of 1500 to 2000 (4,920 to 6,560 feet). Even though they have a small population size and suffer from habitat loss and hunting for food and tail feathers in some areas, they are still is classified as a species of Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. These birds are helped by the fact that they live in remote places with few humans and much of their habitat is still undisturbed. [Source: Wikipedia]

Adult black sicklebill males around 110 centimeters long, including their central tail feathers; female, are 55 centimeters in length. Male haves a black head with greenish blue and purple sheens and large central back feathers that are iridescent metallic blue-green. Their upperparts are velvet black with purple iridescence. Their underparts are blackish on breast, becoming more brownish towards the tail. They also have elongated pectoral and flank plumes that are black with broad iridescent tips and central tail feathers that are metallic blue-purple. Female lacks iridescence. Their upperparts are shades of brown, and their underparts are buff with dark brown barring. [Source: Australia Museum]

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