Photo: Jean-Paul Boerekamps, via iNaturalist, public domain / CC0. Unmodified apart from resizing.
Region
Elsewhere (in East Asia only in bird parks or botanic gardens)
Habitat
forest
Colour
black, blue, green
Size
medium (20 to 50 cm)
IUCN status
Least Concern
IOC breeding range
AU (montane nw New Guinea)
Identification
A small passerine of about 26 cm with extreme dimorphism. The male is black with an iridescent green crown, a blue-green breast shield and a long velvety black erectile cape over the back; in display the cape and shield open into an oval black smiling face as he hops round the female on the forest floor. The female is reddish brown, barred brown on buff below. Formerly part of the superb bird-of-paradise complex.
Habitat
Montane rainforest and forest edge in New Guinea, mostly in the treetops, displaying on a cleared patch of ground or a log.
Distribution
The mountains of north-west New Guinea (the Bird's Head). Absent from East Asia; Birdwatching Notebook lists it as an exotic.
Season and behaviour
Resident, seen all year within its range; males display at their courts on dry-season mornings.
Photography tips
These are the FilmAnalysis editors' notes, not content from the sources.
Its display is a classic of photography and documentary, but only with a local guide from a distant hide, at high ISO and 1/500 s; the opened black cape reflects almost nothing, so turn the blue-green shield to the light. Never disturb a display court.
Field ethics: keep a distance at which the bird does not change its behaviour; never approach or publish nest sites; no baiting, playback or flash; never clear vegetation around a nest; follow reserve rules and stay on paths.
Photographic styles
The display of a black smiling face; blue-green in understorey light.
Similar species
Greater and lesser lophorinas (elsewhere in New Guinea, recently split from the same complex, slightly different display shapes).
Related badge
None yet. No validated photo recognition exists for this species, so no badge is tied to it: a name in the encyclopedia is not evidence in a photograph.
The illustration is original FilmAnalysis artwork. The photograph is from iNaturalist; its licence and author are under it.
