Wildlife
Birds of paradise are some of the most colourful birds on the planet. They live in tropical forests and though females are often dull in colour - because they need to be inconspicuous when sitting on the nest - the males are generally fabulously adorned. They use their decoration to great effect when they're trying to attract a mate, performing elaborate courtship dances to win the females over.
Scientific name: Paradisaeidae
Rank: Family
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Beautiful birds
A stunning collection of some of the most beautiful birds in the world.
A stunning collection of some of the most beautiful birds in the world.
Feathers for money
Birds of paradise feathers are worth their weight in gold.
Birds of paradise feathers are worth their weight in gold.
Birds in paradise
Extravagant plumage leads to lavish courtship displays.
No collection by David Attenborough would be complete without one of his favourite kinds of animals - the birds of paradise. This footage shows the lavish courtship displays performed by some of the most magnificent species. Compare it too, with the six-wired bird of paradise clip from Planet Earth later in the collection.
The shading illustrates the diversity of this group - the darker the colour the greater the number of species. Data provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
Sickletail birds of paradise
Superb bird of paradise (species)
Paradisaea
Six-wired bird of paradise (species)The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species in this family are found in Papua New Guinea and its satellites, with a few species occurring in the Moluccas and eastern Australia. The family has forty-one species in 14 genera. The members of this family are perhaps best known for the plumage of the males of the sexually dimorphic species (the majority), in particular the highly elongated and elaborate feathers extending from the beak, wings, tail or head. For the most part they are confined to dense rainforest habitat. The diet of all species is dominated by fruit and to a lesser extent arthropods. The birds-of-paradise have a variety of breeding systems, ranging from monogamy to lek-type polygamy.
'The family is of cultural importance to the inhabitants of New Guinea. The trade in skins and feathers of the birds-of-paradise has been going on for two thousand years. The birds have also been of considerable interest to Western collectors, ornithologists and writers. A number of species are threatened by hunting and habitat loss.
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