Greater Lophorina

Lophorina latipennis

A fairly large bird of mid-montane forest, including disturbed areas with Casuarinas. Male, mainly black plumage with 2 remarkable erectile fans which are lifted up over the head during its display, metallic, blue-green, trapezium-shaped breast shield and patches above the eyes. Female has a gray-brown back with rufous flight feathers, barred underparts, a broad, black eye-stripe and white eye-brow. Female similar to female parotias, but is slightly smaller and has a dark eye. Female also similar to female Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise but is larger and has a black bill. The male’s yellow-green interior of the mouth is visible whilst it gives its piercing nasal screech.

Identification

It is a small, approximately 26 cm (about 10 inches) long, (passerine) bird. The male is black with an iridescent green crown, blue-green breast cover, and a long velvety black erectile cape covering his back. The female is a reddish-brown bird with brownish-barred buff below. The young is similar to the female. The greater lophorina is a dimorphic species.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Lophorina latipennis
Authority
(Pennant, 1781)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Paradisaeidae
Genus
Lophorina

Range and habitat

The greater lophorina is distributed throughout the rainforests of New Guinea. It inhabits most commonly in rain forests or forest edges of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. They can also be found inhabiting mountainous habitats of the forests in New Guinea.<p>The greater lophorina is also usually found on top of the trees that reside in the rain forests.

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

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