Field Identification

A plump and rotund bird, with a broad, flat-looking bill and broad gape, round wings, weak feet, and a slightly graduated tail. Males are very striking, with bright orange upperparts (yellower in one subspecies) and jet-black underparts, whereas the females are much drabber, a fairly uniform olive-brown, but obviously paler and brighter on the underparts.

Males are highly distinctive and are unlikely to be mistaken for any other species, but females/immatures of the sympatric Loria's Satinbird (Cnemophilus loriae) are similar and require good views to distinguish. The plumage of female Loria's Satinbird is overall much greener, moss-green above, with a marked yellowish tinge to the belly, which contrasts with the brownish wings and tail (the former marked with a brown-yellow patch on the secondaries) (1 Gregory, P. (2017). Birds of New Guinea: Including Bismarck Archipelago and Bougainville. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close , 2 Gregory, P. (2019). Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds. Bloomsbury, London, UK. Close ).

Female MacGregor's Bowerbird (Amblyornis macgregoriae) is another tricky identification problem in relation to the same sex of the present species, especially given their extensive geographical overlap, but the MacGregor's Bowerbird tends to feed higher above ground, has a marginally different head shape, a stouter (blackish) bill, and generally duller and darker brown plumage, especially on the underparts, which should lack any trace of yellow (1 Gregory, P. (2017). Birds of New Guinea: Including Bismarck Archipelago and Bougainville. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close , 2 Gregory, P. (2019). Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds. Bloomsbury, London, UK. Close ).