Breeding

Known principally from the observations of Sims (41 Sims, R. W. (1956). Birds collected by Mr. F. Shaw-Mayer in the Central Highlands of New Guinea 1950-1951. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology 3(10):387–438. Close ) and Frith and Frith (9 Frith, C. B., and D. W. Frith (1993). Results of a preliminary highland bird banding study at Tari Gap, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. Corella 17:5‒21. Close ), as well as summaries by Frith and Beehler (8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ) and Pratt and Beehler (14 Pratt, T. K., and B. M. Beehler (2015) Birds of New Guinea. Second edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ). Many aspects of the species’ breeding biology, including the incubation and nestling periods, are still unknown, and its nest has only been found on a handful of occasions; all of the data reported below refer to the subspecies sanguineus.

Birds with enlarged gonads have been collected during June‒November, with courtship observed from June and mating no later than mid November (42 Marshall, A. J. (1954). Bower-birds, their Displays and Breeding Cycles - a Preliminary Statement. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Egg laying is expected to occur August‒December (43 Gyldenstolpe, N. (1955). Notes on a collection of birds made in the Western Highlands, Central New Guinea, 1951. Arkiv för Zoologi, Series 2 8(1):1–181. Close , 41 Sims, R. W. (1956). Birds collected by Mr. F. Shaw-Mayer in the Central Highlands of New Guinea 1950-1951. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology 3(10):387–438. Close , 40 Loke Wan Tho (1957). A Company of Birds. Michael Joseph, London, UK. Close , 33 Frith, C. B., and D. W. Frith (1993). Nidification of the Crested Bird of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii and a review of its biology and systematics. Emu 93(1):23–33. Close , 8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), but an active nest (containing an egg) was found in eastern Papua New Guinea in mid January (10 Mack, A. L., and D. D. Wright (2000). Notes on the Crested Cnemophilus macgregorii and Yellow-breasted Loboparadisea sericea Birds of Paradise. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 120(3):186–189. Close ).

Site Characteristics

Nests have been noted atop or on the side of mossy tree stumps or trunks, or occasionally within branches of trees and associated vegetation at a mean 2.6 m above ground level (range 1.9‒3.7 m, n = 6) (41 Sims, R. W. (1956). Birds collected by Mr. F. Shaw-Mayer in the Central Highlands of New Guinea 1950-1951. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology 3(10):387–438. Close , 33 Frith, C. B., and D. W. Frith (1993). Nidification of the Crested Bird of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii and a review of its biology and systematics. Emu 93(1):23–33. Close , 10 Mack, A. L., and D. D. Wright (2000). Notes on the Crested Cnemophilus macgregorii and Yellow-breasted Loboparadisea sericea Birds of Paradise. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 120(3):186–189. Close ).

Construction Process

Females are entirely responsible for the nest, in accordance with the species' marked sexual dimorphism (40 Loke Wan Tho (1957). A Company of Birds. Michael Joseph, London, UK. Close , 33 Frith, C. B., and D. W. Frith (1993). Nidification of the Crested Bird of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii and a review of its biology and systematics. Emu 93(1):23–33. Close , 8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Nevertheless, an adult male has been observed carrying a stick in its bill (34 Clapp, G. E. (1986). Birds of Mount Scratchley summit and environs: 3520 metres asl in south-eastern New Guinea. Muruk 1(3):75–84. Close ), while another was collected at the bower of a MacGregor's Bowerbird (Amblyornis macgregoriae)(8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Frith and Beehler (8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ) were informed by local people in Papua New Guinea that adult males visit the latter species’ bowers, all of which suggests that males somehow utilize woody sticks in some way.

Structure and Composition

Nest is extremely cryptic when in situ, being easily overlooked. A roughly globular, domed structure constructed of very dense mosses and fresh green fern fronds with conspicuous ‘comb-tooth’ pinnae, probably Blechnum or Doodia spp. (the ferns used to camouflage or decorate the nest, especially on the top, at the sides, and around the entrance), and heavily lined with fern stalks, monocotyledon stems, and especially long, fine, supple, green-yellow orchid stems, probably Glossorhyncha spp., each 1‒2 mm in diameter and ca. 250‒350 mm long (40 Loke Wan Tho (1957). A Company of Birds. Michael Joseph, London, UK. Close , 33 Frith, C. B., and D. W. Frith (1993). Nidification of the Crested Bird of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii and a review of its biology and systematics. Emu 93(1):23–33. Close , 8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 10 Mack, A. L., and D. D. Wright (2000). Notes on the Crested Cnemophilus macgregorii and Yellow-breasted Loboparadisea sericea Birds of Paradise. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 120(3):186–189. Close ). Entrance hole horizontally-ovate and sited in the middle of the front (33 Frith, C. B., and D. W. Frith (1993). Nidification of the Crested Bird of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii and a review of its biology and systematics. Emu 93(1):23–33. Close ). Built on a foundation of sticks 250‒300 mm long, some extending up to 70 mm in front of the nest dome, forming a ramp and covered with green ferns. One of the five nests reported by Frith and Frith (33 Frith, C. B., and D. W. Frith (1993). Nidification of the Crested Bird of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii and a review of its biology and systematics. Emu 93(1):23–33. Close ) one lacked fern fronds in its construction.

Dimensions

Measurements (means) of the same five nests (33 Frith, C. B., and D. W. Frith (1993). Nidification of the Crested Bird of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii and a review of its biology and systematics. Emu 93(1):23–33. Close ) as follows: height 220 mm, width 197 mm, depth 175 mm; entrance aperture 122 mm wide and 74 mm high; inner nest dimensions 126 mm high, 107 mm wide, and 123 mm deep.

Previously known only from fragments found in a used nest, but Mack and Wright (10 Mack, A. L., and D. D. Wright (2000). Notes on the Crested Cnemophilus macgregorii and Yellow-breasted Loboparadisea sericea Birds of Paradise. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 120(3):186–189. Close ) described a complete egg. Pale pinkish buff with irregular blotching of purple-gray, gray-pink, ochre, or pale russet/mahogany-red blotches (the markings 0.5‒1.5. mm long), forming a slight ring at the broader end, and overall similar to that of the Loria’s Satinbird (Cnemophilus loriae) (8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 14 Pratt, T. K., and B. M. Beehler (2015) Birds of New Guinea. Second edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close , 10 Mack, A. L., and D. D. Wright (2000). Notes on the Crested Cnemophilus macgregorii and Yellow-breasted Loboparadisea sericea Birds of Paradise. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 120(3):186–189. Close ). One egg, that found by Mack and Wright (10 Mack, A. L., and D. D. Wright (2000). Notes on the Crested Cnemophilus macgregorii and Yellow-breasted Loboparadisea sericea Birds of Paradise. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 120(3):186–189. Close ), measured 38.9 × 25.8 mm.

An egg usually attributed to this species for more than 100 years, e.g., by Rothschild (44 Rothschild, W. (1898). Paradiseidae. In Das Tierreich. Band 2 (F. E. Schulze, Editor). R. Friedländer und Sohn, Berlin, Germany. Close ) and Gilliard (26 Gilliard, E. T. (1969). Birds of Paradise and Bower Birds. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, UK. Close ), although Hartert (45 Hartert, E. J. O. (1910). On the eggs of the Paradisaeidae. Novitates Zoologicae 17:484–491. Close ) expressed doubts, evidently cannot have been laid by Crested Satinbird, given that the nest from which it came differs in a number of key aspects from well-documented nests of this species (see discussion in 8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 10 Mack, A. L., and D. D. Wright (2000). Notes on the Crested Cnemophilus macgregorii and Yellow-breasted Loboparadisea sericea Birds of Paradise. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 120(3):186–189. Close ).

Clutch Size

Suspected to be one (8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 14 Pratt, T. K., and B. M. Beehler (2015) Birds of New Guinea. Second edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ).

Laying

Unknown.

Parental Behavior

Unconfirmed but likely to be undertaken solely by the female.

Incubation Period

Incubation period expected to be longer than 26 days; certainly at least 19 days at a nest discovered on Crater Mountain (8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 10 Mack, A. L., and D. D. Wright (2000). Notes on the Crested Cnemophilus macgregorii and Yellow-breasted Loboparadisea sericea Birds of Paradise. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 120(3):186–189. Close ).

Not information.

Development

Slow, possibly due to the relatively cold climate at the elevations inhabited by this species, where food supplies are also potentially limited (8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Females are entirely responsible for the young (40 Loke Wan Tho (1957). A Company of Birds. Michael Joseph, London, UK. Close , 33 Frith, C. B., and D. W. Frith (1993). Nidification of the Crested Bird of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii and a review of its biology and systematics. Emu 93(1):23–33. Close , 8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Brooding

Solely by female. Brooding visits recorded as typically lasting ca. 1 hour, with brooding recorded for ca. 10 minutes, but was never recorded during the two weeks prior to fledging (41 Sims, R. W. (1956). Birds collected by Mr. F. Shaw-Mayer in the Central Highlands of New Guinea 1950-1951. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology 3(10):387–438. Close , 33 Frith, C. B., and D. W. Frith (1993). Nidification of the Crested Bird of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii and a review of its biology and systematics. Emu 93(1):23–33. Close , 8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Brooding comprised a total of 14% of the 53 hours spent making observations at a nest of this species (33 Frith, C. B., and D. W. Frith (1993). Nidification of the Crested Bird of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii and a review of its biology and systematics. Emu 93(1):23–33. Close ).

Feeding

Fed solely by the female on fruits (with at least some seeds regurgitated into or out of the nest by the nestling). During 53 hours of observation at one nest containing a nestling more than four days old, the female visited an average of three times per hour (33 Frith, C. B., and D. W. Frith (1993). Nidification of the Crested Bird of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii and a review of its biology and systematics. Emu 93(1):23–33. Close , 8 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), with the female spending a mean four minutes at the nest on each occasion, for a total of 22% of the total observation period (33 Frith, C. B., and D. W. Frith (1993). Nidification of the Crested Bird of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii and a review of its biology and systematics. Emu 93(1):23–33. Close ).

Distraction Display

No distraction or defensive behavior has been recorded.

Not recorded.

Not recorded.

Not information.