King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius)

Although basically a solitary species, the King Bird of Paradise often feeds in association with other bird species, gleaning insects and other small animals from foliage and bark beneath the canopy of the rainforest. It also eats fruit.

The female has inconspicuous olive-brown plumage, but males are mainly iridescent blood-red and white. This makes for a spectacular treetop display, but also renders the bird very vulnerable to attack by cruising predators. In one of the male's displays, he expands his breast fan and puffs up the feathers of his underparts so that he appears almost spherical. He then raises his long, wirelike tail shafts so that the green racquets at their tips are above his head, and raises and sways his head from side to side. In another display, he hangs upside-down from a perch with wings spread and vibrating and his bill open to display the bright yellow-green interior of his mouth.