Male has head, mantle and back velvety black with iridescent sheen of bronzed green, notably on elongated "cape” feathers ofmantle; behind each eye, from amid an ear-tuft of elongate feathers, a uniquely modified occipital plume (up to 50 cm long) of bare central feather shaft with 40-50 plastic-looking “flags” decorating outer side only, the upper surface of each “flag” an enamel-looking glossy sky-blue to true blue and the underside dark brown; rump, undertail-coverts and uppertail matt black, washed dark brown, upperwing similar but exposed bases and broad leading edges of secondaries and all except outermost two primaries cinnamon; chn and throat as upper head, but large and sparse scale-like feathers at centre and lower border of black throat narrowly tipped iridescent green-blue to purple (suggesting a faint breast shield); remaining underparts dark yolk-yellow, brighter on breast, paler and duller on vent and undertail-coverts, with creamy feathering in flanks; iris dark brown; bill black, mouthpale to rich aqua-green; legs dark brown-grey. Female is smaller than male, lacks occipital plumes, has radically defferent plumage, most of head and entire upperparts grey to sooty grey, darker and browner on lower back, with chin, throat and neck sides buffy grey with broad dark brownish-grey barring (scalloped appearance), and breast to vent whitish, heavily marked with open, shallow, blackish-brown chevrons, undertail-coverts contrastingly ochraceous. Juvenile undescribed; immature males resambles adult female, but upperparts paler, more uniformly brownish-grey to grey (less scalloped), underparts whiter (less dark barring and spotting), iris red-brown; subadult male variable like adult female with few feathers of adult male plumage intruding to like adult male with few female-like feathers remaing, first sign of adult plumage is black nasal-tuft feathering and darker primarieswith orange (not grey) concealed bases, followed by more black head plumage and some yellow in in breast; male tail length decreases slightly with age.
Not Threatened
Male has head, mantle and back velvety black with iridescent sheen of bronzed green, notably on elongated "cape” feathers ofmantle; behind each eye, from amid an ear-tuft of elongate feathers, a uniquely modified occipital plume (up to 50 cm long) of bare central feather shaft with 40-50 plastic-looking “flags” decorating outer side only, the upper surface of each “flag” an enamel-looking glossy sky-blue to true blue and the underside dark brown; rump, undertail-coverts and uppertail matt black, washed dark brown, upperwing similar but exposed bases and broad leading edges of secondaries and all except outermost two primaries cinnamon; chn and throat as upper head, but large and sparse scale-like feathers at centre and lower border of black throat narrowly tipped iridescent green-blue to purple (suggesting a faint breast shield); remaining underparts dark yolk-yellow, brighter on breast, paler and duller on vent and undertail-coverts, with creamy feathering in flanks; iris dark brown; bill black, mouthpale to rich aqua-green; legs dark brown-grey. Female is smaller than male, lacks occipital plumes, has radically defferent plumage, most of head and entire upperparts grey to sooty grey, darker and browner on lower back, with chin, throat and neck sides buffy grey with broad dark brownish-grey barring (scalloped appearance), and breast to vent whitish, heavily marked with open, shallow, blackish-brown chevrons, undertail-coverts contrastingly ochraceous. Juvenile undescribed; immature males resambles adult female, but upperparts paler, more uniformly brownish-grey to grey (less scalloped), underparts whiter (less dark barring and spotting), iris red-brown; subadult male variable like adult female with few feathers of adult male plumage intruding to like adult male with few female-like feathers remaing, first sign of adult plumage is black nasal-tuft feathering and darker primarieswith orange (not grey) concealed bases, followed by more black head plumage and some yellow in in breast; male tail length decreases slightly with age.
Male 22 cm. 80-95 g; female 20 cm. 6S-88 g
Taxonomy: Pteridophora alberti A. B. Meyer, 1894, mountains on Ambernoh River [Mamberamo River] = apparently Weyland Mountains, New Guinea. Birds from Schraderberg (in Sepik Mts) described as race buergersi and birds from S slope of Mt Hagen as hallstromi, but both considered inadequately differentiated from those in rest of species' range. Treated as monotypic. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Distribution:
- C Cordillera of New Guinea from Weyland Mts E, discontinuously (including Snow Mts, Star Mts, Victor Emanuel Range, Mt Bosavi, Mt Hagen, Mt Giluwe, Ambua Range, Kubor Range, Schrader Mts and Bismarck Range), to Kratke Range.
Middle to upper montane forest and forest edges, also lightly disturbed areas of forest around hunting lodges and tracks; 1400-2850 m, mainly 1800-2500 m.
Mostly fruits, also insects and spiders. Forages mostly alone, at all levels down to shrubbery near ground. Seeks invertebrates by tearing and probing at mosses and lichens.
Breeding possible in all months, peak about Jul-Feb; one nest found, constructed in Dec, egg-laying early Jan (Tari Gap, in EC New Guinea); display at least Sep-Apr. Polygonous, solitary promiscuous male advertisement-singing from several traditional emergent perches; female builds and attends nest alone. Male's song perches regulary dispersed, on Mt Hagen apparent territory of adult male in mid-Apr c, 137 m in diameter, rnale callingn from emergent frees 30-37 m tall, but territorality remains to be confirmed; display perch in forest substage (2-15 m high), tree groups of 3-7 males reported as displaying at inter-group distances of c. 8-16 km and suggestive of exploded leks (confirmation required, as other observes report solitary males throughout ectensive habitat); courtship involves initial canopy advertisement-singing and display from perches in emergent trees, during which male performs simple displays with mouth gaping and movement of occipital plumes, then descends to understorey vine perch to perform Understorey Bouncing Display with leg-flexing (and continuous subsong), wing-shivering and erection of mantle cape, breast shield and head feathering, and occipital plumes raised to c. 45° and held widely apart; coppulatin follows. Only one nest found, a shallow open cup of loosely accumulated fine stems of epiphytic orchid and fresh green "comb-tooth" fern fronds, egg-cup interior sparsely lined with fine epiphytic orchid stems or tendrils, placed 11 m above ground in large trifurcate upright branch fork of Timonius belensis tree; contained 1 egg, incubation period more than 22 days; no information on nestlings period.