FAMILY PARADISAEIDAE (Third part)
Breeding behaviour and courtship displays
Birds-of-paradise, Standardwing, Riflebird, Manucode, Parotia, Paradigalla, Paradise-crow, Crow, Lophorina, Sicklebill and Astrapia
The birds of paradise range in size from the King Bird-of-paradise at 15-16 cm and 43-65 g to the Curl-crested Manucode at 43-44 cm and 430-448 g. But the male Black Sicklebill, at 63 cm (110 cm including central rectrices) is the longest species. They are closely related to the crows of the family Corvidae.
TO BE CONTINUED... Fourth part Reproduction, symbolism, legends, threats and status
Text by Nicole Bouglouan
Photographers:
Otto Plantema
Trips around the world
Dubi Shapiro
Dubi Shapiro Photo Galleries
Illustrations:
Daniel Giraud Elliot (1835 – 1915)
Richard Bowdler Sharpe (1847-1909)
Henrik Grönvold (1858-1940)
These images and the text are subject to copyright and cannot be used without express authorization from the owners. Legal issues
Sources:
HANDBOOK OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD Vol 14 by Josep del Hoyo-Andrew Elliot-David Christie - Lynx Edicions – ISBN: 9788496553507
Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds De Phil Gregory – Editeur: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020 – ISBN: 1472975847, 9781472975843 – 416 pages
Les Oiseaux de paradis – Histoire Naturelle et photographies - par Michel Ottaviani - Editions Prin, France – ISBN : 2-909136-40-X
Birds of New Guinea: Second Edition De Thane K. Pratt, Bruce M. Beehler – Editeur: Princeton University Press, 2014 – ISBN: 0691095639, 9780691095639 – 528 pages
Birds of New Guinea: Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics De Bruce M. Beehler, Thane K. Pratt – Editeur: Princeton University Press, 2016 – ISBN: 069116424X, 9780691164243 – 672 pages
Book of Curious Birds De Jennifer Cossins – Editeur: Hachette UK, 2021 – ISBN: 073442048X, 9780734420480 – 64 pages
Astonishing Animals: Extraordinary Creatures and the Fantastic Worlds They ... De Tim Flannery – Editeur: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic, 2012 – ISBN: 0802194176, 9780802194176 – 192 pages
Bird: The Definitive Visual Guide De DK – Editeur: Dorling Kindersley Ltd, 2022 – ISBN: 0241596319, 9780241596319 – 512 pages
Birds of the World publié par Jason A. Mobley – Editeur: Marshall Cavendish, 2008 – ISBN: 0761477756, 9780761477754 – 846 pages
The (un)reasonable beauty: What factors shaped the evolution of Paradisaeidae?
CREAGUS@Monterey Bay (Don Roberson)
Fatbirder - The World’s Richest Information Resource about Birds for Birders
Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
BIRDS OF PARADISE – Facts and details
Bird of Paradise Symbolism & Meaning
Black Sicklebill
Epimachus fastuosus
Richard Bowdler Sharpe (1847-1909)
The courtship displays of numerous species allow the males to expose their beautiful plumage to attract the females. Several polygynous males display at leks and other species display solitary in cleared court. Each male outdoes himself to show his best appearance to the females which, for the most part, will leave after mating to take care of nest building and rearing the young on their own. However, some monogamous species share the nesting duties.
The breeding season coincides with food availability, abundance of fruit and arthropod foods. More breeding occurs during August-January than during February-July, and the least productive period being March-June.
Both Manucodia and Lycocorax genera are sexually monomorphic and socially monogamous, like the Trumpet Manucode of genus Phonygammus. These monogamous species form pair-bonds, share the nesting duties and do not defend their territories. They are generally frugivorous and both sexes forage together.
They usually have black plumage with varying amounts of green and blue iridescence. Their eyes are deep red. Male and female are very similar to each other, but the females have duller, more cryptic plumage which blends very well with the habitat and protects them from predators when they are nesting.
These monomorphic species are believed to be among the most ancient in the family Paradisaeidae.
Crinkle-collared Manucode
Manucodia chalybatus
The Glossy-mantled Manucode and the Trumpet Manucode maintain their pair-bonds year-round. Male and female attend the nest and feed the chicks. A male Trumpet Manucode was also observed incubating at nest.
The manucodes forage together and maintain a vocal contact between them. They are non-territorial and highly frugivorous, and do not defend their feeding areas.
Glossy-mantled Manucode
Manucodia ater
The courtship behaviour of these monogamous species is usually a brief and solitary display on a perch in the forest canopy.
The Trumpet Manucode performs a chase, followed by a frontal lunging display during which both head and bill are raised while the feathers of head, neck and throat are erected. The opened wings are raised and tilted forwards, in order to expose the entire upperwing towards the female, while the tail is widely fanned. This display is accompanied by a loud, harsh call.
From an observation, another Trumpet Manucode dropped its wings and cocked the tail while producing a shivering display for 5-10 seconds prior to the copulation.
The displays of other Manucodia species are poorly known, but we can suggest that they are fairly similar to this one.
Trumpet Manucode
Phonygammus keraudrenii
Daniel Giraud Elliot (1835 – 1915)
The nest of the Curl-crested Manucode is an open, loose, cup-shaped structure made of twigs and vines, with sometimes a base of large leaves, and also some leaves and pieces of rotten wood in the cup. The nest is usually suspended from a fork of horizontal branch.
The Trumpet Manucode builds an open, basin-shaped structure made of vine tendrils. The loose structure allows the eggs to be seen through the walls of the nest.
The adults feed their nestlings by regurgitation of fruit and/or animal items. The nest is regularly cleaned by all the studied species.
Curl-crested Manucode
Manucodia comrii
Richard Bowdler Sharpe (1847-1909)
The two monogamous Lycocorax species also share the nesting duties. The nest is very similar to that of Manucodia, but bulkier, with woody curled vine stems, tendrils and dead leaves outside and sometimes moss. It is lined with pale wood chips or flaky bark, with hair-like tendrils in the egg-cup. It is built into a tree-fork in the subcanopy, between 4 and 15 metres above the ground. The female lays a single egg.
Halmahera Paradise-crow
Lycocorax pyrrhopterus
Richard Bowdler Sharpe (1847-1909)
However, even though the two species of genus Paradigalla share the same physical characteristics and are sexually monomorphic, the males are assumed to be polygynous, and limited observations suggest that they do not take part to nesting duties.
Long-tailed Paradigalla
Paradigalla carunculata
Daniel Giraud Elliot (1835 – 1915)
The two polygynous Paradigalla species build a cup or bowl-shaped structure in tree fork, often at forest edge. The exterior of the nest of the Short-tailed Paradigalla is made with mosses, fern fronds and small-leaved plants (including orchids). The rim is entirely circled with woody vine tendrils and several supporting branches can be seen outside. It is lined of dry leaves inside, and the small egg-cup is lined of dark wire-like tendrils. The female builds and attends the nest alone.
Paradigalla brevicauda
Henrik Grönvold (1858-1940)
The other species of Paradisaeidae are sexually dimorphic in plumage and they are polygynous. The males display and the female performs alone all the nesting duties. Both sexes are seen together only for courtship and mating. The males try to mate with as many females as possible, whereas the females struggle to produce one or two chicks per year.
The polygynous males use traditional sites where they produce advertising calls and perform courtship display and mating.
The site may be a simple branch in the canopy or understorey, to vertical tree trunk stumps, fallen logs or terrestrial courts cleared by the males themselves. Several males modify the sites or only remove the leaves from the close vegetation.
By removing the leaves, the male provides better visibility, a good view of approaching females, rivals and predators, and a beautiful light on the display site that enhances the beauty of both dances and iridescent plumage.
The parotias do not clear their courts, but they decorate them with some specific items such as pieces of chalk, sloughed snakeskin or mammal dung.
Lawes's Parotia
Parotia lawesii
The colours of their plumage, and especially blue iridescences, need to be highlighted by ultraviolet during the displays. Adult males with great ultraviolet reflectance have an advantage over the immatures which have much reduced UV coloration.
The feathers of the breast shield of sicklebills and astrapias show iridescent blue/magenta/violet tips displayed in good light may have unexpected dimensions in how they are perceived.
Another example is that of the bright white nasal shields (atop of the basal half of upper mandible) of the parotias and the amazing head pattern of the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise that become very striking when viewed from above. In the latter species, when a female is interested, she perches on the branch above the male and she looks at him while it is weaving back and forth, calling and flexing its fluorescent breast shield, similar to a brilliant green disk.
Lawes's Parotia
Parotia lawesii
Most of polygynous birds-of-paradise exhibit a variety of courtship behaviour, from solitary and non-territorial to true communal lekking, with some intermediate strategies. The most common system is solitary and non-territorial display, with great variation in dispersion and behaviour.
The male Magnificent Bird-of-paradise prepares a cleared area, a court, where it will display. It removes leaves and debris from the ground and fiercely defends the site from rival males.
Others, such as the Magnificent Riflebird, display from a tree stump or a fallen branch that does not require modifications or tending.
Magnificent Riflebird
Ptiloris magnificus
The Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise displays high above the ground, on a leafless tree stump well visible over the vegetation. The male is highly territorial, always making sure it is at least 700 metres away from the other males of the area. The perch is also defended against rivals.
But usually, most species display in the understorey or on the ground.
The solitary males desire to avoid rivals. They display less frequently in the absence of females, spending more time in vocal advertisement and court maintenance, and less time in male-female interaction.
The displays of these solitary males include surprise elements of vigorous advance at females with amazing changes of size and appearance, attitude or sound. Their displays may even include pecking of females or beating them with the open wings.
Greater Lophorina
Lophorina superba
Other males cluster loosely over a larger area where they do not have visual contact with one another. This system is named “exploded leks”.
The males of at least two parotia species, the Lawes’s Parotia and the Queen Carola’s Parotia, and the King Bird-of-paradise of genus Cicinnurus are suspected to form “exploded leks”.
The courting males King Bird-of-paradise can be solitary individuals placed 150-530 metres or more apart, to several males (as many as four) clustered together, about 50-70 metres apart.
The lekking species include the Stephanie’s Astrapia, the Standardwing Bird-of-paradise and five Paradisaea species. The males (as few as two to as many as 40 or more) display within visual contact of each other. They are 0,5 to 5 metres apart, perched on small branches in the canopy of one tree, more rarely in several trees. These leks tend to be several hundred metres to a kilometre or more apart. They can be reused for more than two decades.
Greater Bird-of-paradise
Paradisaea apoda
Greater Bird-of-paradise
Paradisaea apoda
The communal display systems promote competitive interaction among males. The older dominant males control the social structure, whereas the younger and subordinate males associate with more experimented conspecifics.
Fights between them are not uncommon on leks, and some level of fighting is probably necessary to maintain the hierarchy.
Following the establishment of this hierarchy, the females can visit without excessive harassment by insubordinate males. The females tend to mate with centrally located males which are older and more dominant. The mating pairs are protected from predators by subdominant younger males, more exposed to possible threats.
The polygynous males display by using their brightly or contrastingly coloured plumage to advertise themselves on their display perches.
The displays can be static and simple, involving simple chases or hopping from branch to branch. Other males perform more discrete courtship movements in a highly stereotyped and ritualized sequence.
The shape of the display perch like the vertical stump of the Victoria’s Riflebird, the Black Sicklebill and the Twelve-wired bird-of-paradise, involves a static display or one limited to hopping up and down or over a limited area.
Victoria's Riflebird
Ptiloris victoriae
On the other hand, a stout horizontal vine stem or tree limb allows a linear hopping or dancing display, like both Magnificent Riflebird and Paradise Riflebird do.
Magnificent Riflebird
Ptiloris magnificus
But a large fallen log or the surface of the ground allow semi-circular hopping dances, illustrated by, among others, the Greater Lophorina.
The displays by the males of solitary species are not very different from those of males communally displaying males, but numerous solitary males use more static displays.
The true lekking species use the “convergence display” during which the dispersed males return quickly and noisily to their lek perches when the females are approaching.
Greater Bird-of-paradise
Paradisaea apoda
But more complex courtship displays are performed by the more ornately plumed groups of Paradisaeidae. The males have an amazing nuptial plumage with specific characters which are presented to the females in a stereotyped manner during the displays.
The long tails of Astrapia species are enhanced by several movements such as limb-hop, flight and hanging from perches.
The members of genus Parotia raise their flank plumes until forming a skirt, and erect both occipital and nuchal plumes.
When a female approaches, the King of Saxony Bird-of-paradise moves its occipital plumes and often erects the feathers of both mantle and breast shield. The pale wing patches are exposed when the male flutters its wings.
The riflebirds open widely their highly modified wings and component feathers shape and texture, producing loud and characteristic noises during some periods of the display.
The Greater Lophorina raises a large nuchal cape and breast shield.
The sicklebills erect their pectoral fans, raise the flank plumes and fan their long tail.
There is a posturing and/or a movement to present at its best every plum form. The brilliant flank plumes of several males are exposed when the bird raises the wings. Following this, the lekking males Paradisaea also use a static pose with the plumes raised and the head deeply lowered.
During this communally static display by competing males, the females often approach to inspect and compare both size and plumage of all the males perched in the same posture.
The Emperor Bird-of-paradise develops one step further by hanging completely inverted and motionless from the perch.
In the same way, the solitary Blue Bird-of-paradise also hangs upside-down while waving the flank plumes, but with the wings tightly closed. During this inverted display posture, the two males present the plumage pattern of the belly that becomes well visible for the females.
Many courtship displays include leg-flexing involving rise and fall of the body, or individual leaping vertically up and down, and sometimes causing it to sway and/or rotate to one side or from side to side.
The King Bird-of-paradise briefly rocks from side to side and the wings are vibrating. Suddenly, the male drops to cling below the perch and repeats the display. It turns the head from side to side with the bill open to expose the aqua-green mouth, before closing the wings and tightly sleeking its plumage while remaining suspended. It swings several times from side to side at an increasing tempo during the brief and Silent Pendulum Display.
Other physical characters are presented by the courting males, including the pectoral fans of the sicklebills and the King Bird-of-paradise, the pale primaries of the Standardwing Bird-of-paradise, and the flank plume wires and bare thighs of the Twelve-wired bird-of-paradise. The latter performs a tactile courtship display during which it brushes the recurved flank-plumes wires across the face of the female. But sometimes, the wires can be caught in the female’s mouth when she probes her bill into the dense yellow feathers of her partner. However, the male usually continues the swaying dance, hopping from foot to foot while the female removes them.
The tail is also used by the males, but in limited ways. It may be repeatedly fanned or held to one side during terrestrial movements. The courting riflebirds, the Greater Lophorina and the sickletails such as the King Bird-of-paradise, the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise and the Magnificent Bird-of-paradise conspicuously cock the tail, whereas the typical Paradisaea species hold the elongated undertail-coverts well away from the tail.
But another physical character is also important during the displays. The mouth of the Paradisaeidae is usually brightly coloured, from bright orange or yellow to lime-green, and it is exposed during the displays while the male is calling and gaping. The riflebirds and the larger two sicklebills have well visible bright yellow mouth. On the other hand, the Standardwing and the members of genera Parotia and Paradisaea appear no perform gaping during the displays.
Some species show bright yellow legs and feet (Standardwing), or deep coral-pink ones in the Twelve-wired bird-of-paradise and the blue ones of the sickletails, but also the bright blue head skin of the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise.
Each brightly colored physical feature is used during the displays to attract the attention of females and arouse their interest in a male.
Extreme sexual dimorphism may relate to courtship display. The polygynous species include some of the most striking examples of extreme sexual dimorphism involving competition among males in display court or lek.
Victoria's Riflebird
Ptiloris victoriae
Victoria's Riflebird
Ptiloris victoriae
Female
Each male is able to make itself spectacular to attract females. The choice of the place, the moment, everything is implemented for a bewildering spectacle where the slightest misstep can cancel all its efforts.
These amazing displays end with copulation and the departure of the female who will build the nest and raise the young alone, while the male will continue to attract other females.
We will discover the secrets of reproduction in the fourth part of this study.