Paradise Riflebirds (Ptiloris paradiseus)
The Paradise Riflebirds, Ptiloris paradiseus, is a medium-sized, up to 30cm long, passerine bird of the Paradisaeidae (Birds of Paradise) family.
Description
The male is black with an iridescent greenish-blue crown, throat, and central tail feathers. It has a black curved bill, black feet, a dark brown iris, and a yellow mouth.
The female is an olive-brown bird with barred blackish below.
Distribution / Range
Endemic to eastern Australia, the Paradise Riflebird is distributed to rainforests of New South Wales and central Queensland. The diet consists mainly of insects and fruits.
In displays, the male extends his wings and fans them upward with its head behind the wings to expose his metallic green throat feathers. He then moves his head from side to side with an open bill to show off his bright yellow mouth.
The Paradise Riflebird is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed in Appendix II of CITES.
