Wilson’s Bird of Paradise is stunning, but elusive is definitely a bird you won’t be able to forget.
This bird is a marvel to look at, sporting a symphony of colors from its red and black back, blue feet, bright turquoise helmet, yellow cape on its neck and purple curved tail.
The bare turquoise-blue skin on this bird’s crown is very vivid and clearly visible at night.
They were first filmed in 1996 by Sir David Attenborough in a BBC documentary.
He managed this by dropping the leaves onto the forest floor, which caused the bird into clearing it away.
Only native to Indonesia, this bird is found in the lowland and rainforest of islands such as West Papua, Waigeo and Batana.
These birds are quite small at only 16 cm (6.3 in) long and weigh around 52-67g.
However, only the males look like this; the females are browner all over with a bare blue crown.
Males of this species perform an elaborate mating dance to impress potential suitors.
They will clear a small area of the rainforest before displaying their attractive chest shield while performing the dance with songs and calls.
Its quirky “Frenchmans mustache” shaped tail feathers are beautifully iridescent and reflect light, resulting in bold colors.
Not much is known about the species’ mating rituals, as they are difficult to find in the wild, and only a few have been witnessed.
Due to habitat loss and the small range of the birds, Wilson’s bird-of-paradise is considered a near-endangered species.
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