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Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise

Liz Bonnin presents the displaying raggiana bird-of-paradise from Papua New Guinea.

Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.

Liz Bonnin presents the displaying Raggiana bird-of-paradise from Papua New Guinea. An explosion of colour flashes across the tree canopy of a rainforest: male Raggiana birds-of-paradise, one of the most spectacularly coloured birds in the world, are displaying to one another. The Raggiana or Count Raggi's bird-of-paradise is Papua New Guinea's national bird and it's easy to see why. His yellow head and green throat are eye-catching enough but even more flamboyant are the long tufted flank feathers which he can raise into a fan of fine reddish-orange plumes. Males gather at traditional display sites quivering these enormous flaming plumes like cabaret dancers as they cling to an advantageous branch. The urgency of their display is underlined by frantic calls which echo through the canopy, in the hope he can impress the much plainer female to mate with him.

Producer : Andrew Dawes

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1 minute

Last on

Tue 17 Jan 2023 05:58

Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise (Paradisaea raggiana)

Webpage image courtesy of David Tipling / naturepl.com.

NPL Ref 漏 David Tipling / naturepl.com.

Broadcasts

  • Mon 5 Jan 2015 05:58
  • Fri 11 Dec 2015 05:58
  • Fri 27 Jul 2018 05:58
  • Tue 10 Mar 2020 05:58
  • Tue 31 Aug 2021 05:58
  • Tue 17 Jan 2023 05:58

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