Paradise Riflebird (Ptiloris paradiseus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Paradise Riflebird

Ptiloris paradiseus Swainson, 1825

≈32 cmLength120 gWeight

The adult male is black with a blue-green sheen on the crown and throat.

Busiest months: October · Most records: Australia

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Bill black, long and decurved
  2. Adult male has a blue-green sheen on the crown and throat
  3. Adult male has a green sheen on the lower breast and flanks
  4. Female has a white supercilium, white throat and barred underparts

Male, female and young

Adult male black with blue-green iridescence; adult female gray-brown. Juveniles of both sexes resemble the adult female.

Voice

Male gives a loud, drawn-out “yaassss”, lasting about 2 seconds.

Where and when it's recorded

Paradise Riflebird has been recorded at 5 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. O'Reilly's Rainforest RetreatAustralia1,588 records
  2. D'Aguilar National Park – Maiala Loop WalkAustralia374 records
  3. Mary Cairncross ReserveAustralia295 records
More places
  1. Gold Creek ReservoirAustralia5 records
  2. Lake Samsonvale – Postmans TrackAustralia1 record

Countries and regions with the most records

Australia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The paradise riflebird (Ptiloris paradiseus) is a passerine bird of the family Paradisaeidae. It is one of four riflebird species in the genus Ptiloris. It is found in subtropical, temperate rainforests in eastern Australia.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Paradise Riflebird?

The Paradise Riflebird is about ≈32 cm long and weighs around 120 g.

Where does the Paradise Riflebird live?

Its breeding range: Australasia: southeastern Queensland to east-central New South Wales (eastern Australia). It is most often recorded in Australia.

When is the best time to see the Paradise Riflebird?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October (Southern Hemisphere).

What does the Paradise Riflebird eat?

Main food: Fruit.

What family is the Paradise Riflebird in?

It belongs to the family Birds-of-paradise (Paradisaeidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
≈32 cm
Weight
120 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Fruit
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
More measurements
Wing
151 mm
Tail
90 mm
Bill
53 mm
Tarsus
35 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Australasia: southeastern Queensland to east-central New South Wales (eastern Australia)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Birds-of-paradise Paradisaeidae
Genus
Ptiloris

Other birds in the genus Ptiloris

Victoria's RiflebirdVictoria's RiflebirdPtiloris victoriaeMagnificent RiflebirdMagnificent RiflebirdPtiloris magnificusGrowling RiflebirdGrowling RiflebirdPtiloris intercedensHalmahera Paradise-crowHalmahera Paradise-crowLycocorax pyrrhopterusObi Paradise-crowObi Paradise-crowLycocorax obiensisGlossy-mantled ManucodeGlossy-mantled ManucodeManucodia aterTagula ManucodeTagula ManucodeManucodia alterJobi ManucodeJobi ManucodeManucodia jobiensisCrinkle-collared ManucodeCrinkle-collared ManucodeManucodia chalybatusCurl-crested ManucodeCurl-crested ManucodeManucodia comrii
Paradise Riflebird

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Glenn Bartley. ↗

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