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Lawe's parotia, or the six-wired bird of paradise, is dark black, with a chest plate of irridescent, green and gold feathers. In order to dance and display unimpeded, the male prepares a court, an area of the forest floor which he has cleared of leaf litter and other debris. He maintains his court daily, removing all unwanted leaf fall or other debris in his housekeeping duties.

A female arrives, having toured all the courts in the neighbourhood to choose a mate. The male prepares to impress her with his dance but, without invitation, some of this neighbouring rivals show up at his court, along with more females. The tension rises, but nobody seems prepared to dance, one of the intruding males begins to mate with a female, an unusual event which surprises researcher Miriam Supuma, who was hoping to see the display dance of this beautiful bird.

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3 minutes

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