Seleucidis melanoleucus
Male nominate race has entire head velvety black with iridescent coppery olive-green sheen, entire crown with purple iridescence; upperparts, including lesser upperwing-coverts, velvety black with iridescent oily sheen of coppery olive-green (washed purple in some lights); greater wing-coverts, alula, tertials, secondaries and uppertail iridescent violet-purple and/or magenta, primaries black; chin, throat and entire breast velvety black with slight coppery yellowish-green iridescent sheen; large feathers bordering lower breast broadly tipped iridescent emerald-green, with violet-purple adjacent bases, forming gorget that extends up each side of breast; elongate and dense breast feathers form extensive breast "cushion"; remaining underparts, including grossly elongated, inwardly curving filamentous flank feathers, brilliant yellow; white central shaft of six flank plumes on each side grossly elongated beyond webs into black "wires" that, after recurving upwards, are again white; iris bright blood-red; black postocular stripe of bare skin; long, slightly decurved bill shiny black, mouth aqua-green; legs (including bare thighs) pink. Female is smaller than male, but with tail much longer; plumage radically different, cryptically drab-coloured, upper head and upper mantle sooty black with dull iridescent purple sheen, remaining mantle and entire uppcrparts chestnut-brown, paler on exposed primaries; malar area, throat and upper breast greyish-white, flecked, spotted and then uniformly barred blackish, as are remaining underparts; black postocular stripe of bare skin; bright pink tarsus. Juvenile undescribed; immature male like adult female (tail longer than adult male), also sometimes paler, washed with sandy orange-yellow and/or with brown base of lower mandible, iris pale brown, turning yellow with age; subadult male variable, from like adult female but with few feathers of adult male plumage intruding to like adult male with few- remaining feathers of female-like plumage; with age, iris changes from yellow to almost red, and male progressively acquires grossly shorter tail. Race auripennis is smaller than nominate, notably in bill length, female underparts darker, more brownish, and more heavily barred than nominate.
Not Threatened
Male nominate race has entire head velvety black with iridescent coppery olive-green sheen, entire crown with purple iridescence; upperparts, including lesser upperwing-coverts, velvety black with iridescent oily sheen of coppery olive-green (washed purple in some lights); greater wing-coverts, alula, tertials, secondaries and uppertail iridescent violet-purple and/or magenta, primaries black; chin, throat and entire breast velvety black with slight coppery yellowish-green iridescent sheen; large feathers bordering lower breast broadly tipped iridescent emerald-green, with violet-purple adjacent bases, forming gorget that extends up each side of breast; elongate and dense breast feathers form extensive breast "cushion"; remaining underparts, including grossly elongated, inwardly curving filamentous flank feathers, brilliant yellow; white central shaft of six flank plumes on each side grossly elongated beyond webs into black "wires" that, after recurving upwards, are again white; iris bright blood-red; black postocular stripe of bare skin; long, slightly decurved bill shiny black, mouth aqua-green; legs (including bare thighs) pink. Female is smaller than male, but with tail much longer; plumage radically different, cryptically drab-coloured, upper head and upper mantle sooty black with dull iridescent purple sheen, remaining mantle and entire uppcrparts chestnut-brown, paler on exposed primaries; malar area, throat and upper breast greyish-white, flecked, spotted and then uniformly barred blackish, as are remaining underparts; black postocular stripe of bare skin; bright pink tarsus. Juvenile undescribed; immature male like adult female (tail longer than adult male), also sometimes paler, washed with sandy orange-yellow and/or with brown base of lower mandible, iris pale brown, turning yellow with age; subadult male variable, from like adult female but with few feathers of adult male plumage intruding to like adult male with few- remaining feathers of female-like plumage; with age, iris changes from yellow to almost red, and male progressively acquires grossly shorter tail. Race auripennis is smaller than nominate, notably in bill length, female underparts darker, more brownish, and more heavily barred than nominate.
Male 33 cm, 170-217 g; female 35 cm. 160-1S8 g
Taxonomy: Paradisea melanoleuca Daudin, 1800, "Waigiou"; error = Salawati or the Vogelkop, New Guinea. Intergeneric hybridization with Ptiloris magnificus and Paradisaea minor recorded. Two subspecies recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * melanoleucus ( Daudin, 1800) - West Papuan Is (Salawati) and W & S New Guinea from Vogelkop E in N watershed to Mamberamo R and, in S watershed, to Port Moresby area and possibly to Milne Bay. * auripennis Schlüter, 1911 - N New Guinea from Mamberamo R to Ramu R.
Flat lowland rainforest, notably swamp-forest permanently or seasonally flooded and supporting pandanus and sago palms. Present up to 180 m.
Fruits, notably pandanus; also animals, mostly arthropods, but also small vertebrates (frogs, lizards); also flower nectar. Relative proportions of fruit and animals in diet estimated to be 50:50. Will forage acrobatically, hanging upside-down, to probe holes in tree branches. Joins mixed-species foraging flocks, including those with other birds-of-paradise and pitohuis.
Breeds Jan to late Oct/early Nov in SE (near Port Moresby); males with enlarged gonads in Jan-Feb and Jun—Dec, peak gonadal activity Aug-Dec, females with enlarged oocytes Aug-Sept; display at least Jul-Jan. Polygynous, solitary adult male displaying at traditional perches; female builds and attends nest alone. Adult male frequents and vocally advertises one or several adjacent vertical, leafless and typically dead tree stumps protruding from forest canopy, three vocal males mapped at each of Nomad R and Kakoro (in E New Guinea) were at mean nearest-neighbour distance of 730 m; display perches, defended from other males, c. 0-5-1 km apart. Display involves perch dance, bill-fencing with female, postures involving movements of wings, flank plumes and wires, pectoral shield and thighs, and gaping, and a tactile phase (Wire-wipe Display) in which male swipes female across face with his flank wires. Nest a shallow egg-cup of (once supple) vine or tree inflorescence stems inside bulky deep structure of pandanus bark and vines on sparse foundation of sticks and leaves, lined with rootlets and plant fibres; built up to 14 m above ground in pandanus or sago palm. Clutch 1 egg, rarely 2; in captivity, incubation period 20 days, nestling left nest at 3 weeks of age.