Wilson's Bird-of-paradise

Diphyllodes respublica

The Wilson's bird-of-paradise, a passerine of the Paradisaeidae family, is a small yet strikingly vibrant bird. Males boast a resplendent array of colours with a red and black plumage, a yellow mantle on the neck, light green mouth, rich blue feet, and two curved violet tail feathers. The head is a remarkable naked blue with a distinctive black double cross pattern. Females, on the other hand, present a more subdued brownish coloration with a bare blue crown.

Identification Tips

In the wild, the male's blue crown is so vivid it can be seen even at night. The scarlet back and velvet green breast are particularly lush, and the tail feathers gleam with a bright silver sheen. The female, while less colourful, can be identified by her brownish plumage and the blue crown.

Habitat

The Wilson's bird-of-paradise favours hill forests at around 300 meters above sea level but can also be found in lowland rainforests and middle mountain forests.

Distribution

This species is endemic to Indonesia, specifically the hill and lowland rainforests of Waigeo and Batanta Islands off West Papua.

Behaviour

Males are known to clear areas of the rainforest floor to create display courts for their elaborate mating dances, which are performed to attract and impress potential mates.

Breeding

The species exhibits sexual dimorphism, with the drab-coloured females selecting the most vibrant and active males based on their courtship displays, which are believed to indicate genetic fitness.

Diet and Feeding

Wilson's bird-of-paradise feeds on fruits, insects, arthropods, and other small invertebrates.

Conservation status

The Wilson's bird-of-paradise is currently classified as Near Threatened due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range, and exploitation. It is listed in Appendix II of CITES.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.
Download Birda on the Apple App StoreDownload Birda on the Google Play Store

Wilson's Bird-of-paradises on Birda

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.
What Our Birders Say
Nick S
Work together with community
Been loving using this app to log my bird sightings and work together with community members to identify different birds. I've already learned a lot since I started about a month ago!
BCHphotography_
Such a great app!
I didn’t think I could enjoy birding more but this app makes it so much better. Some great features and a really great way to share your sightings with your friends or fellow birders nearby or around the world! ❤️
Ellesse_W
Learning Birding with Birda
I’m relatively new to birding as a hobby, and Birda is a great way to keep track off all the species I see. I’m still working on my ID skills, but the app is great for figuring out potential species, and the online community is so friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend Birda to both early and serious birders! 🐦
Patricia L
Very encouraging birding app
Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.
Tralisalandhoop
Fantastic app - Love it!
Love this app and have used it almost daily. Lots of species information and easy to use. Love seeing birds spotted by other users in the UK and worldwide.
Unbridled Discoveries
Great app for bird lovers
I love this app! It’s a wonderful way to track birding sessions, and also connect you with fellow birders. I also really like the unidentified bird section, it’s a great community tool to help figure out what a never-before-seen bird is!
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
Robred 2
Fun way to add to your birdwatching experience
I enjoy watching birds in my backyard, but this app helped me really pay attention while on vacation this summer. It was fun to add new birds to my bird watching app.
D3Nature
Great app for learning Birds
I’ve been using the app for a couple of months and love it....Someone said it’s like a real life Pokémon Go for birds. They’re not far off! It’s something that the family can do that gets you out and about. Well worth downloading no matter your age.
Dan R
Great app for bird fanatics
Great app for bird fanatics - very user friendly and a perfect place to share sightings.
As featured in
BBC RadioABC NewsFox NewsForbesTimeoutAndroid CentralBirdWatching DailyPetapixel