Magnificent birds-of-paradise use a large number of calls for communication. Birds-of-paradise (Paradisaeidae) are an incredibly vocal group, known for elaborate courtship songs and a wide variety of calls for more everyday communication. The brightness of feathers in the male communicates readiness to breed and is perhaps a fitness indicator, though this has yet to be verified.
Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Diphyllodes magnificus is currently not in any conservation danger. They are extremely common in the forests and villages of New Guinea. They can inhabit areas of human settlement and quickly move into to colonize abandoned farms and gardens. However, continued human encroachment into forests may ultimately impact populations of magnificent birds-of-paradise.
US Migratory Bird Act: no special status
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
There are no known adverse effects of magnificent birds-of-paradise on humans.
Diphyllodes magnificus is not of any economic importance, although some of the native peoples of New Guinea use their feathers for traditional clothing and head-dresses.
Positive Impacts: body parts are source of valuable material; research and education
Not much is known about specific ecosystem roles, however it is suspected that magnificent birds-of-paradise are influential in seed dispersal.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
Magnificent birds-of-paradise feed primarily on fruit (about 80-90% of the diet) and a small amount of insects, mostly beetles and crickets (about 10-20% of the diet). They are often seen in mixed foraging flocks, particularly out of the breeding season. These flocks contain other birds-of-paradise (Paradisaeidae), sunbirds (Nectariniidae), and other frugivore canopy species.
Animal Foods: insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods
Plant Foods: fruit; flowers
Primary Diet: herbivore (Frugivore )
Diphyllodes magnificus occurs throughout the mountains of the islands of New Guinea.
Biogeographic Regions: oriental (Native )
Other Geographic Terms: island endemic
Diphyllodes magnificus is a tropical species found in the forested mountains of New Guinea. Magnificent birds-of-paradise are found in the upper canopy of the rainforest, almost exclusively in the mountains. They can also be seen in abandoned gardens in villages and small cities. Magnificent birds-of-paradise seems to be fairly tolerant of disturbed habitat and human settlement.
Range elevation: 1800 to 5000 m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest ; mountains
Other Habitat Features: suburban
Lifespan of magnificent birds-of-paradise is not well known. However birds-of-paradise species (Paradisaeidae) are generally long lived birds, and living to 30 years in captivity is not unusual.
Male magnificent birds-of-paradise are spectacular birds with dark breasts that ranges from green to brown, and bright orange wings. Neck feathers are striped yellow. The most distinguishing characteristic is the two long, wire-like tail feathers that the male uses in the courtship display. Males cannot display to find a mate until these feathers grow in, which happens between three and six years after hatching. Females are drab, brown birds and can be difficult to tell from other female birds of paradise. Females do have a light blue eye stripe, which males also have. Males range from 16 to 26 cm in length and weigh 190 grams on average. Females are smaller, averaging 20 cm in length and 128 grams.
Range mass: 128 to 190 g.
Range length: 16 to 26 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger; sexes colored or patterned differently; male more colorful
Not including humans, magnificent birds-of-paradise have almost no predators. Large mammal predators do not exist in New Guinea. Humans have traditionally used their feathers for clothing, and in the early part of the 20th century many dead birds and feathers were exported to make fashionable hats. This has since been made illegal, although the native people are allowed to kill a small number for traditional practices.
Known Predators:
Magnificent birds-of-paradise are known for their striking sexual dimorphism. Male magnificent birds-of-paradise are elaborately colored with long, ornamental tail feathers. Females are relatively drab, having brown feathers and normal looking tail feathers. The males lek during the breeding season. Each male picks a display area and “cleans” it by removing twigs and leaves. The males then perform an elaborate display that showcase their spectacular feathers. This performance involves fluffing up their feathers and dancing around the female while calling. When mating occurs it is brief and afterwards both male and female fly off: the male to find and display to other females and the female to pursue other males or to make a nest and raise the young. Magnificent birds-of-paradise are a polygamous and promiscuous species. Both males and females may mate with more than one partner and the males do not contribute to the raising of young.
Mating System: polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Magnificent birds-of-paradise breed between the months of July and December (late spring to early summer). Offspring are reared by the mother. One to two eggs are laid at a time in canopy nests. The young birds are fledged around 36 days after hatching, but some, often males, will stick around for another month. Females reach sexual maturity at about one year, and males between three and six years because they must grow out their long tail feathers before they can mate.
Breeding interval: Magnificent birds-of-paradise breed once a year.
Breeding season: Breeding occurs between the months of July and December.
Range eggs per season: 1 to 3.
Range time to hatching: 14 to 26 days.
Average time to hatching: 21 days.
Range fledging age: 30 to 39 days.
Average fledging age: 36 days.
Average time to independence: 7-10 weeks.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 years.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 3 to 6 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous
Males do not contribute to raising or protecting the young. After mating occurs, females build a nest and raise the one to three young on their own. Young fledge after about 30 days, but often stay with the mother for some time.
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); post-independence association with parents
The magnificent bird-of-paradise (Cicinnurus magnificus) is a species of bird-of-paradise. The magnificent bird-of-paradise is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They are listed on Appendix II of CITES.
The generic name Cicinnurus means "curled tail" and its specific name magnificus means magnificent or splendid. The species was formerly listed in the genus Diphyllodes, which means "Double leaf-like", referring to its "leaf-like" tail.
The Magnificent bird-of-paradise is included in the same genus as the King and Wilson's Birds-of-paradise, though it's more closely related to the latter. The genus Cicinnurus forms a clade with the genera Paradisaea and Paradisornis, and the other closest genus is Astrapia, though it is not included in the clade.
This species has three subspecies:[2]
This rather common species is widespread throughout a large range, in Indonesia, New Guinea and surrounding islands. It occurs in the tropical and subtropical montane and hill forest at altitudes of around 1500 m, though it can be found around 1780 m as well.[3]
As the name suggests, the magnificent bird-of-paradise is magnificent indeed. It has one of the most complex plumage arrangements in the family Paradisaeidae. It reaches around 26–26.5 cm in total length, though the body is around 19 cm. The male has beautiful golden-yellow wings, which are overlapped by a sulfur-colored mantle, or cape, that deflect white a whitish glow, with deep red feathers bordered by black beneath the cape that form a semi-circle over the wings; there are also scruffy brownish feathers on the sides of the cape. The head is fairly short; it is a light brown in a scalloped pattern on the top that extends to the back of the neck, and a darker reddish-brown on the face and below the chin. It has a pale grey-bluish bill, dark brown eyes and a thin, white line that extend behind the eyes. Below is an entirely different story; almost the entire underside consists of the large, iridescent green breast shield, which is finely decorated with lime-green to turquoise scale-like feathers that run down the middle of it. The plumage under the shield is blackish-brown. When fully extended, the breast shield is edged with shiny turquoise-greenish. The tail is blackish-brown with two long, sickle-like, partially curved central tail plumes that are colored light blue. As characteristic in the genus Cicinnurus, both sexes have colorfully blue legs and feet. The female is drastically different from the extravagant male; she is light-brown above, including the tail (which lacks the long sickles). Her head is light brown, but the chin is intercepted by brown barring and creamy feathers that extend all the way to the rump. Her bill is the same color as the males', and she also has a white line extending behind the eyes.[3]
It is sympatric with its congener, the King Bird-of-paradise, and hybridization has been noted several times. Over 20 specimens of these hybrids exist in museums, though no wild records have ever occurred. It was once even thought to be a separate species, called King of Holland's Bird-of-paradise ("Diphyllodes gulielmitertii"); this hybrid is scarlet red above, of the King, with the golden mantle cape of the Magnificent, also sporting two long tail wires more resembling the king's, but being partially curved at the tip with no green spirals that the king sports.
These birds feed mainly on fruits, but also feed on animal matter (notably insects, reptiles, and amphibians), and possibly take nectar and flowers. They mainly feed solitarily, but may also feed in mixed-species congregations. Like most members of the family Paradisaeidae, the male is polygamous and performs an elaborate courtship display, very unique in its family. These birds build their courts on rugged slopes of rocky and uneven terrain. Their courtship typically takes place on a sapling standing up from the ground. He commonly tends to his court and makes sure it stays clean and clear of fallen debris.[3]
When a female attends his court, he is usually on his display perch. Here is where he does his display; he leans backwards to point where his body is perpendicular to the sapling, raises his mantle cape, to where it appears like a yellow halo behind his head, expands and flexes his iridescent breast shield, and waggles his sickle-shaped tail on each side. Though this performance is comical, it is often observed by many females nearby, who do not take the male mating with the core audience member too lightly. When the male is about to copulate the core female, other females nearby will spring from their perches to attack and shoe off the female, and the male is discouraged and may have to wait a while to perform again.[4][5]
Typical of most of the bird-of-paradise family, the female takes up all parental duties, including nest-building, incubation, and chick-rearing. They lay one to two creamy yellow eggs, and incubation usually concludes within 19 days, and the chicks usually fledge in 18 days.[4]
Male
,_NGA_53547.jpg)
Two males (Illustration by John Gould).
.jpg)
Male underside, showing the iridescent green breast shield.
.jpg)
Male upperside.
_-_Paradisaeidae_-_bird_skin_specimen.jpeg)
Nominate female specimen at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center.
_(20325695296).jpg)
Male (left) and female (right)
Male specimen, race hunsteini, at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Note the iridescent scale-like feathers going down the breast shield.
The magnificent bird-of-paradise (Cicinnurus magnificus) is a species of bird-of-paradise. The magnificent bird-of-paradise is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They are listed on Appendix II of CITES.
