Large paradisaeid with fairly long, graduated tail. Male has blue-black head, neck and nape, blue-green iridescent feather tips forming inverted V-shapes on chin, throat, neck and nape; blue-black mantle, back, rump, uppertail-coverts and uppertaii with iridescence predominantly of violet-purple with magenta and/or blue sheens; indistinct dark barring sometimes apparent on uniformly glossy purple uppertaii in some lights; rectrices with tiny hair-like central points; conspicuous darker broad barring on mantle formed by matt black feather tipping; lower throat, neck and upper breast feathering has fringed edging, creating crinkled surface with conspicuously bronzed yellow-green iridescence; blue-black lower breast and remaining underparts with violet-purple gloss and, in some lights, magenta sheen, darker (blackish) feather tipping giving barred appearance that is less conspicuous on matt blackish vent and undertail-coverts; iris deep red, with dark brown inner ring; bill dark grey to black, legs black. Female is on average smaller than male, also duller below, underparts more green-blue, less purple. Juvenile and immature are like adult female, but breast and belly even greener (lacking purple), chin and throat matt blackish, iris greyish-brown to dark brown, difficult to differentiate from young of W. aier; subadult similar to adult, but less purple and less barred, iridescent blue-green of throat and breast duller, and belly more blackish.
Not Threatened
Large paradisaeid with fairly long, graduated tail. Male has blue-black head, neck and nape, blue-green iridescent feather tips forming inverted V-shapes on chin, throat, neck and nape; blue-black mantle, back, rump, uppertail-coverts and uppertaii with iridescence predominantly of violet-purple with magenta and/or blue sheens; indistinct dark barring sometimes apparent on uniformly glossy purple uppertaii in some lights; rectrices with tiny hair-like central points; conspicuous darker broad barring on mantle formed by matt black feather tipping; lower throat, neck and upper breast feathering has fringed edging, creating crinkled surface with conspicuously bronzed yellow-green iridescence; blue-black lower breast and remaining underparts with violet-purple gloss and, in some lights, magenta sheen, darker (blackish) feather tipping giving barred appearance that is less conspicuous on matt blackish vent and undertail-coverts; iris deep red, with dark brown inner ring; bill dark grey to black, legs black. Female is on average smaller than male, also duller below, underparts more green-blue, less purple. Juvenile and immature are like adult female, but breast and belly even greener (lacking purple), chin and throat matt blackish, iris greyish-brown to dark brown, difficult to differentiate from young of W. aier; subadult similar to adult, but less purple and less barred, iridescent blue-green of throat and breast duller, and belly more blackish.
Male 36 cm, 164-265 g; female 33 cm, 160-255 g
Taxonomy: Paradisea Chalybata J. R. Forster, 1781, Arfak Mountains, New Guinea. May form a superspecies with M. comrii. Sympatric with M. ater, M. jobiensis or M. keraudrenii at various localities, but no cases of hybridization recorded. Monotypic. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Distribution:
- West Papuan Is (Misool) and scattered sites throughout mainland New Guinea.
Hill and lower montane forest throughout New Guinea mainland, also lowland forest on Misool; sea-level to 1700 m, mostly 500-600 m.
Mainly fruits, especially figs (Ficiis); also invertebrates, including insects and spiders (Araneae). Forages mostly in middle to canopy levels, but also lower when seeking invertebrates, Aggressivelly defends fruiting trees from other frugivorous birds, Commonly joins mixed-species feeding flocks of predominantly black and/or brown birds.
Breeding at least Jul—Sept and Jan; display recorded in Apr, Jun, Jul and Sept, Monogamous pair-bonding; non-territorial. Display on tree branches, male chasing female through foliage via numerous perches; with each display call note, male expands breast and mantle feathering as he leans forwards to stretch neck and raise head. Nest of wiry stalks, intermingled with leaves, lined with finer stalks and fibres, suspended between forking branches of tree limb. Clutch 1-2 eggs; both sexes probably provision young, but this uncorfirmed. No other information.