- Ptiloris paradiseus
Identification
Male 30 cm (11¾ in), female 29 cm (11½ in). A fairly large Bird-of-paradise with a long, decurved bill and a short tail.
Male
- Black plumage
- Green-blue crown, throat shield and central tail feathers
- Dark brown eye
- Shiny black bill
- Pale yellow gape
Female
- Smaller, but longer bill
- Brown and grey-brown plumage above
- Broad whitish superciliary stripe
- Whitish chin, throat and submoustachial area
- Buff to pale cinnamon underparts, strongly marked with blackish-brown deep chevrons
Juveniles undescribed, immatures similar to females.
Similar species
Males of Victoria's Riflebird are quite similar but ranges don't overlap. Females are clearly different.
Distribution
Found from southeast Queensland to northeast New South Wales in Eastern Australia.
A restricted-range species. Has lost much of its habitat through forest clearance.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Habitat
Rainforests and adjoining wetter eucalypt forests. Most numerous above 500m, rarely below 200m except in winter.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on fruits and animals (insects, spiders, arthropods).
Forages usually singly, but sometimes in small groups in fruiting trees together with Bowerbirds.
Breeding
Breeding season from August to February. A polygynous species. The male advertises by singing from several traditional perches and performs a similar display like Victoria's Riflebird. The female builds and attends the nest alone.
The saucer-shaped nest is made of vegetation. Lays 1 - 2 eggs.
Movements
A resident species with some short-distance movement in the austral winter.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Paradise Riflebird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Paradise_Riflebird
External Links
Search the Gallery using the scientific name:
Search the Gallery using the common name:
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
