The King Bird of Paradise, Cicinnurus regius, is distributed throughout the lowland forests of New Guinea and nearby islands.
Widespread and a common species throughout its large habitat range, the King Bird of Paradise is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed in Appendix II of CITES.
Description
This so-called “living gem” is the smallest and most vividly colored among birds of paradise.
It averages approximately 16cm in length.
The male is crimson and white with bright blue feet and green-tipped fan-like plumes on its shoulder. The two elongated tail wires are decorated with emerald green disk feathers on their tips.
The unadorned female is a brown bird with barring below.
Diet / Feeding
The diet consists mainly of fruits and arthropods.
Breeding
An extraordinary display is performed by the male with a series of tail swinging, fluffing of its abdomen white feathers that make the bird look like a cotton ball, and acrobatic pendulum displays.
