Alternative name: Little King Bird-of-Paradise
- Cicinnurus regius
Identification
Male 16cm (31cm including central tail-feathers), female 19cm. A very small, distinctive Bird-of-paradise
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
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
Distribution
Found on New Guinea and some adjacent islands.
Locally fairly common.
Taxonomy
Hybrids with Magnificent Bird-of-paradise recorded.
Subspecies
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
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.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on fruits and arthropods. Joins mixed-species flocks with other Birds-of-Paradise.
Breeding
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.
Movements
Presumably a resident species.
References
- Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- 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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) King Bird-of-Paradise. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/King_Bird-of-Paradise
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
