Victoria's Riflebird

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Victoria's Riflebird

Male in Queensland

Female
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Paradisaeidae
Genus:	Ptiloris
Species:	P. victoriae
Binomial name
*Ptiloris victoriae* Gould, 1850

The Victoria’s Riflebird (Ptiloris victoriae) also known as Duwuduwu to the local Aboriginal people, is a bird of paradise endemic to the Atherton Tableland region of northeastern Queensland, Australia where it resides year-round.

The smallest riflebird, it measures between 23–25 cm. Males have an iridescent purple sheen plumage, which becomes more blue-green on the head and more bronze on the lower breast. The throat is velvety black with a metallic green and blue triangular patch in the center. Females have a pale eyebrow, and the buff underparts are faintly barred with brown. The call is a loud "yaars".

As well as insects, they eat fruits from the trees, some which they peel by holding the fruit with one foot and removing the skin with their bill.

The Victoria's Riflebird was discovered by John Macgillivray for John Gould in 1848 and is named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.^[2]

A common species in its limited range, the Victoria’s Riflebird is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.^[1] It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.

Mating habits

Male calling

When the male begins to display, he erects the feathers of his throat and sides to accentuate the bright colours of his plumage in the shafts of sunlight that pierce the dimness of the rainforest. He curves his rounded wings above his body and tilts his head back to expose his chin and throat to the light, and then moves from side to side in a fashion that looks almost mechanical.

The female is attracted to the male's display post by his raspy 'yaars' call, which becomes softer and more tuneful during the display.

The pair then face each other closely, and each bird raises and extends its wings forward alternately in an increasingly rapid rhythm. Finally the male embraces the female with both wings, and copulation ensues.

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 BirdLife International (2012). "Ptiloris victoriae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael (2003). Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds. London: Christopher Helm. p. 351. Cite uses deprecated parameters (help)

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet

Birds-of-paradise (family: Paradisaeidae)

Genera and species

Genus	Species

Lycocorax	Paradise-crow

Manucodia	Glossy-mantled Manucode Jobi Manucode, Crinkle-collared Manucode Curl-crested Manucode Trumpet Manucode

Paradigalla	Long-tailed Paradigalla Short-tailed Paradigalla

Astrapia	Arfak Astrapia Splendid Astrapia Ribbon-tailed Astrapia Princess Stephanie's Astrapia Huon Astrapia

Parotia	Western Parotia Queen Carola's Parotia Bronze Parotia Lawes's Parotia Eastern Parotia Wahnes's Parotia

Pteridophora	King of Saxony Bird-of-paradise

Lophorina	Superb Bird-of-paradise

Ptiloris	Magnificent Riflebird Growling Riflebird Paradise Riflebird Victoria's Riflebird

Epimachus	Black Sicklebill Brown Sicklebill

Drepanornis	Black-billed Sicklebill Pale-billed Sicklebill

Cicinnurus	Magnificent Bird-of-paradise Wilson's Bird-of-paradise King Bird-of-paradise

Semioptera	Standardwing

Seleucidis	Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise

Paradisaea	Lesser Bird-of-paradise Greater Bird-of-paradise Raggiana Bird-of-paradise Goldie's Bird-of-paradise Red Bird-of-paradise Emperor Bird-of-paradise Blue Bird-of-paradise

Incomplete list of likely hybrid birds-of-paradise

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