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King Bird-of-Paradise Cicinnurus regius Scientific name definitions

Clifford Frith and Dawn Frith
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated April 28, 2017

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Field Identification

Male 16 cm (31 cm inclusive of central rectrices), 43–65 g; female 19 cm, 38–58 g. Very small paradisaeid with upper ridge of culmen sharply keeled to knife edge (as in C. respublica and Semioptera). Male nominate race has crimson head , chin, breast and upperparts, more orange on forecrown and tuft of elongate plush feathering over culmen base, discrete spot of black feathering above central eye showing iridescent dark green; elongate mantle "cape" ­feathers, back, rump, tertials and some upper­wing-coverts crimson to carmine with intense white iridescence, uppertail-coverts duller, more orange (less glossy crimson); upperwing predominantly glossy crimson, flight-feathers and some coverts variably brown; uppertail dark brownish-olive with brown-orange outer feather edges, elongated central feather pair reduced to fine bare red-brown central shafts with remarkable terminal spiral discs, latter (formed of inner feather web) iridescent metallic dark green with bronzed-yellow sheen; lowermost crimson throat feathers finely tipped pale buff where they meet narrow breast shield of iridescent dark green (can appear jet-black to burnished green-yellow in some lights); on each side of shield several elongate erectile fan-shaped olive-brown pectoral plumes, these pinkish-buff immediately prior to a broad iridescent tip of metallic bright green; remaining underparts white; iris pale brown to dark brown or greyish-brown; bill ivory-yellow, mouth pale aqua-green; legs violaceous cobalt-blue to blue-grey. Female is similar in size to male, but tail (excluding central rectrices) longer; plumage radically different, in cryptically drab-coloured olive-brown above, with rusty margins on greater coverts, remiges and tail feathers, often with paler, buffier area above eye, variably buff on breast, flanks and lower belly, and entire underside finely and uniformly barred dark brown; bill and legs duller than adult male's. Newly fledged juvenile (11 days) has upper head brown, tinged russet, with light superciliary stripe with dark spot above, upperparts and tail grey-brown, wing feathers darker brown, greater coverts and outer primaries red-brown, chin grey-tinged brownish-yellow with fine streaks and points, underparts light grey with dark barring, iris grey-brown, bill-horn coloured, legs paler blue than female; immature male like adult, younger (darker-billed) individuals having much orange-rufous on wing-coverts and outer edges of flight-feathers, and orange-rufous wash on upper breast and (more so) to side of it, but steadily losing this as acquiring increasingly paler bill and then the red of adult plumage, rectrices pointed at tips; subadult male variable, like adult female with few feathers of adult male plumage intruding to like adult male with few feathers of female-like plumage remaining; with age, male acquires progressively shorter outer rectrices while simultaneously gaining progressively longer central pair. Race <em>coccineifrons</em> is very like nominate, differs only in having central pair of rectrices and bill slightly longer.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Hybridization with C. magnificus recorded. Proposed race rex (Sorong district, in Vogelkop) synonymized with nominate; and gymnorhynchus (near Finschhafen, on NE coast of Huon Peninsula), cryptorhynchus (Taua, on lower Mamberamo R) and similis (Stephansort, in Astrolabe Bay) treated as synonyms of coccineifrons. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies


SUBSPECIES

Cicinnurus regius regius Scientific name definitions

Distribution

West Papuan Is (Salawati, Misool), Aru Is, and mainland New Guinea except N portion.

SUBSPECIES

Cicinnurus regius coccineifrons Scientific name definitions

Distribution

N New Guinea from E coast of Geelvink Bay E to E Ramu R; Yapen I.

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Lowland rainforest , monsoon forest, gallery forest and forest edge, including disturbed areas and tall secondary forest; from sea-level to 950 m, mainly no higher than 300–400 m.

Movement

Presumably resident.

Diet and Foraging

Fruits and arthropods; no information on relative proportions of each. Forages at various levels of forest; joins mixed-species foraging flocks that may include C. magnificus and Paradisaea species.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Advertisment calls of males are varied, more typical ones being transcribed as a descending "whei-wher-wha" and ringing, falling, "wher-whei-wha"; a descending "queu-queu-queu"; a deep "kraaa-kraaa-kraaa"; a rising series of loud, throaty, "cho-chow-chaw-chaw-chaw-chaw-chai" notes; a nasal and plaintive series of "ca", "wa" or "wau" notes rising slightly in pitch; a lower-pitched, trilled, slowly delivered "rahn rahn rahn rahn"; a high, plaintive and nasal "ki-kyer"; a high insistent "ki kyer kyer kyer kyer kyer kyer kyer kyer kyer" rapidly delivered and dropping in pitch and speed toward the end. Some calls reminiscent of typical Paradisaea, whereas others like C. magnificus. A foraging call given by all birds is a plaintive "weeo-weeo" with each note downslurred and descending. During courtship adult males produce subdued chittering of rhythmic twittering, churring, buzzing and grating notes continuously.

Breeding

Breeds at least Mar–Oct, but probably in all months over range; two separate females with newly fledged young in May; males with much-enlarged gonads in Jan–Nov (mainly Apr–Oct), a female with enlarged oocytes in late Mar; display in Oct–Jan in SE of range (Port Moresby area). Polygynous, solitary to communal promiscuous males defoliating a traditional arboreal court; female builds and attends nest alone. Court in thick subcanopy vines of shaded forest interior; adult males dispersed predominantly in twos c. 45–90 m apart, but occasional group of four may gather to form lek; some males 150 m to more than 530 m apart, apparently forming mating system intermediate between non-territorial one and exploded lek; adult males vocalize persistently throughout day. Courtship involves a dance, and inverted and flight postures, with movements of wings, pectoral fans, relictual flank plumes and central rectrices, and gaping; display phases include Wing-cupping, Dancing, Tail Swinging, Horizontal Open Wings Display, an Inverted Phase of the Open Wings Display, and a Pendulum Display. One nest described, in Aru Is, in tree hole 2 m above ground, entrance c. 38 mm in diameter and cavity depth c. 46 cm, filled to within "a few inches" of entrance perch with palm fibres. Clutch 1–2 eggs; incubation in captivity (from first egg) 17 days, chicks left nest (possibly prematurely) at 14 days of age; female performed distraction display when almost fledged young examined by keeper.
Not globally threatened. CITES II. Locally fairly common; widespread, but patchily distributed. Calculated as representing c. 1% of avifauna at Soliabeda (near Purari R, at 610 m), in SE New Guinea. In 2002, within Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area (E New Guinea), estimates at 432–650 m were 64·6 individuals/km2 in primary forest, 31·9/km2 in old gardens and 28·9/km2 in new gardens, and figures at 651–935 m were 5·4 in primary forest, 27·2 in old gardens and 15·9 in new gardens; in forest near Port Moresby, estimated density of 6 individuals/10 ha. Total of 22 adult males located during eleven days in 100 ha of mature forest at Kakoro (SE range), but only nine in 150 ha of similar habitat during six days at Nomad R (in EC New Guinea).
Distribution of the King Bird-of-Paradise - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the King Bird-of-Paradise

Recommended Citation

Frith, C. and D. Frith (2020). King Bird-of-Paradise (Cicinnurus regius), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.kbopar1.01