From Opus

Photo by dandsblair
Kwatu W, New Guinea, May 2012

Alternative name: Little King Bird-of-paradise

Cicinnurus regius

[edit] Identification

Male 16cm (31cm including central tail-feathers), female 19cm. A very small, distinctive Bird-of-paradise

[edit] Male

• Crimson head, chin, breast and upperparts
• Crimson-orange plush feathering over bill base
• Small black spot above eye
• Dark brownish-olive uppertail, central tail feathers reduced to fine bare red-brown shafts with dark-green spiral discs at end
• Narrow dark-green breast-shield (can appear black)
• Erectile fan-shaped olive-brown pectoral plumes with bright green tip
• White remainings of underparts
• Brownish eye
• Ivory-yellow bill
• Pale aqua-green mouth

[edit] Female

• Drab-coloured olive-brown upperparts
• Longer tail than male
• Variably buff underparts, finely and uniformely barred dark brown
• Bill and legs duller than male

[edit] Distribution

Found on New Guinea and some adjacent islands.
Locally fairly common.

[edit] Taxonomy

Two subspecies recognized:

• C. r. regius patchily on mainland New Guinea (except northern parts), West Papuan Islands (Salawati, Misool) and Aru Islands
• C. r. coccineifrons in northern New Guinea

Hybrids with Magnificent Bird-of-paradise recorded.

[edit] Habitat

Lowland rainforest and forest edge, also in disturbed areas and tall secondary forest. Occurs from sea-level up to 400m, sometimes up to 950m.

[edit] Behaviour

Feeds on fruits and arthropods. Joins mixed-species flocks with other Birds-of-paradise.
Breeding season at least from March to October, probably in all months. A polygynous species. The male holds a court in thick forest, sometimes up to four males gather to form a lek. The display includes several static postures and a dance.
The female builds and attends the nest alone. One described nest was 2m above the ground in a tree hole. Lays 1 - 2 eggs.
Presumably a resident species.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507

• List of references

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID