Greater Bird-of-Paradise

Adult males have a rich brown body, a yellow crown and mantle, an emerald-green face and throat, and large, ornate, yellow-and-white flank plumes (wires). Females are much duller, with a dark brown head, neck, and underparts, and pale yellowish-brown underparts lacking the flamboyant plumes.

Male: Yellow crown, emerald-green throat, dark brown body, and massive, flowing white-to-yellowish flank plumes. Female: Uniform dark brown upperparts and barred underparts.

Length: Approximately 43 cm (excluding extended tail plumes which can reach up to 60 cm). Weight: 200–300 grams.

A series of loud, echoing, wooden or metallic squawks and rhythmic honking notes, often delivered in chorus at display sites.

Primarily frugivorous, feeding heavily on figs and forest fruits, but also supplementing their diet with insects and arthropods.

Lowland tropical rainforests, swamp forests, and forest edges, typically ranging from sea level up to 500 meters elevation.

Non-migratory resident bird, occupying the same territories year-round.

Females build a bulky, open-cup nest out of leaves, vine tendrils, and fern fronds placed high in the fork of a rainforest tree. Clutch is usually 1-2 eggs, incubated solely by the female.

Lesser Bird-of-Paradise (Paradisaea minor), which is smaller, has a more yellowish back, and differs slightly in facial mask coloration and geographical range.

Acts as an important seed disperser for various rainforest canopy trees and fruits, playing a vital role in maintaining forest biodiversity.

Least Concern, with a stable population trend, though locally affected by habitat loss and hunting for feathers.

Visit the lowland rainforests of New Guinea or the Aru Islands, listen for their loud calls, and search for traditional lekking trees where males display.

Alfred Russel Wallace famously described the Greater Bird-of-Paradise in his writings, and early European traders received specimens from local hunters whose feet had been removed, leading to the myth that these birds stayed aloft forever and never landed.