Alternative names: Black Bowerbird; Gold-crested Black Bowerbird
- Archboldia papuensis
Includes Sanford's (Tomba) Bowerbird
Identification
37cm.
- Dark sooty grey to black plumage
- Extensive black-streaked orange-yellow crest from forehead to nape
- Dark brown eye
- Grey feet
- Black bill
Females are smaller, have no crest and the plumage is less black. Immature males are similar to females but darker.
Distribution
Endemic to mountains of central New Guinea (Wissel Lakes, Weyland Mountains area, Nassau Range, Oranje Mountains, Bele Range, Habbema region, Mount Hagen, Mount Giluwe, Tari Gap and southern Karius Range).
Locally common but very patchily distributed and with a very small range.
Taxonomy
There are two subspecies:[2][3][4]
- A. p. papuensis
- A. p. sanfordi
- Some authorities treat this as a separate species (Sanford's Bowerbird).[1]
Habitat
Highland forests with mossy beech and conferous tree species. Occurs at 1750 - 3660m, mainly at 2300 - 2900m.
Behaviour
A resident species.
Breeding
Breeding season from September to February, display from September to December. The bower consist of a cleared place with an accumulated mat made of fern fronds. Perches above the mat are draped with flowers or stems of orchids. The bower is decorated with different materials, sometimes even with feathers of an adult male King-of-Saxony Bird-of-paradise. The female builds and attends the nest alone, an untidy bowl made of sticks. Lays 1 egg.
One bower was used for 15 years, another one was attended by the same male for six seasons.
Diet
Almost no information about diet. Feeds probably on fruits and some animals (like tree-climbing skinks and insects).
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- 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
- Dickinson, EC, ed. 2003. The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. 3rd ed., with updates to December 2007 (Corrigenda 7). Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691117010
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2010. IOC World Bird Names (version 2.7). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Archbold's Bowerbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 September 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Archbold%27s_Bowerbird
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
