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Western Parotia - BirdForum Opus

Alternative names: Arfak Parotia; Six-wired Parotia; Six-wired Bird-of-paradise; Arfak Bird-of-paradise

Male
Artwork by noisi
Parotia sefilata

Identification

Male 33cm, female 30cm. A large Parotia with a medium-sized tail.

Male

Female
Photo by CharlesRoring
Arfak mountains, West Papua, Indonesia, February 2018
  • Velvety jet-black plumage
  • Erectile triangular frontal crest of silvery feathers
  • Broad nuchal bar of iridescent blue scale-like feathers
  • Three elongated wire-like bare occipital plumes from behind each eye
  • Breast-shield of intensely iridescent scale-like feathers
  • Cobalt-blue eye with pale yellow outer ring
  • Shiny black bill

Female

Pre mating display by adult male bird to several female birds
Photo by Kris Tindige
Arfak Mountain, West Papua, Indonesia, July 2006
  • Smaller, lacks iridescence and head plumes
  • Blackish head
  • Pale greyish sub-moustachial stripe flecked blackish-brown
  • Bold blackish malar stripe
  • Faint pale greyish-buff superciliary stripe
  • Olive-brown upperparts
  • Paler underparts regularly barred blackish

Immature males are similar to females.

Distribution

Endemic to a small area in northwest New Guinea on Vogelkop and Wandammen Peninsula.
Little recent data about population size.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].

Hybridization with Long-tailed Paradigalla and Lophorinas recorded.

Habitat

Mountain forests. Occurs at 1100 - 1900m.

Behaviour

Immature male
Photo © by dandsblair
Arfak Mountains, New Guinea, 1 October 2022

Diet

Feeds on fruits and arthropods. Joins mixed-species foraging flocks.

Breeding

Little data about breeding. Display season early August to late October. A polygynous species. The male attends a terrestrial court where it shows a complex display courtship involving a dance (see picture). The female builds and attends the nest alone. However, there are no informations about nests, nest-sites or clutch size.

Movements

No informations about movements.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. 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

External Links


GSearch checked for 2020 platform.

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