Seleucidis melanoleucus
The Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise, *Seleucidis melanoleucus*, is a striking member of the Paradisaeidae family, renowned for its unique courtship display and vibrant coloration. Males are unmistakable, featuring a velvety black head and mantle, a brilliant golden-yellow back, and a fiery red upper breast leading to an olive-green gorget. Their most distinctive feature, and the source of their common name, are the twelve stiff, wire-like filaments (six on each side) that project from the tips ...
This species primarily inhabits lowland rainforests, swamp forests, and forest edges, typically found at elevations ranging from sea level up to 400 meters, occasionally venturing higher.
Primarily frugivorous, its diet consists mainly of various fruits, especially figs, supplemented with arthropods such as insects and spiders, which are gleaned from foliage and branches.
The Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise is a diurnal species, with males engaging in a polygynous breeding system where they display solitarily at traditional perches rather than in a communal lek. Males spend significant time maintaining their display perches, often a prominent, bare branch. Their ela...
The Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise is endemic to the lowland forests of New Guinea and the adjacent island of Salawati. Its distribution spans both the Indonesian provinces of West Papua and Papua, as well as the nation of Papua New Guinea. Within New Guinea, it is widespread across the northern a...
Least Concern
- The famous "wires" are not actual wires but highly modified, stiff feather shafts originating from the male's flank plumes, used in a tactile display. - During courtship, the male will carefully brush these twelve wires against the female's face and nape, a unique behavior among birds. - It is ...