Eastern Riflebird
Encyclopedia
The Growling Riflebird, Ptiloris intercedens also known as Eastern Riflebird is a medium-sized passerine
bird of the Paradisaeidae family. The male is a velvet black and green bird of paradise with black flank plumes, black curved bill
, yellow mouth, blackish feet and dark brown iris
. It has an iridescent greenish blue on its crown, throat, breast shield and central tail feathers. The female is a rufous brown bird with barred buff below.
Its appearance resembles and sometimes considered as a subspecies of the Magnificent Riflebird
, being different by the lower breast and abdomen coloration, male's distinctive growling song and feathered culmen base.
The Growling Riflebird is distributed and endemic
to the lowlands of easternmost Papua New Guinea
. The male is polygamous and performs courtship display solitarily. The diet consists mainly of fruits and arthropods.
A common species throughout its range, the Growling Riflebird is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird of the Paradisaeidae family. The male is a velvet black and green bird of paradise with black flank plumes, black curved bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
, yellow mouth, blackish feet and dark brown iris
Iris (anatomy)
The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...
. It has an iridescent greenish blue on its crown, throat, breast shield and central tail feathers. The female is a rufous brown bird with barred buff below.
Its appearance resembles and sometimes considered as a subspecies of the Magnificent Riflebird
Magnificent Riflebird
The Magnificent Riflebird, Ptiloris magnificus, is a medium-sized passerine bird of the Paradisaeidae family. The male is velvet-black bird of paradise with elongated black filamental flank plumes, an iridescent blue-green crown, a wide, triangle-shaped breast shield, and on central tail feathers...
, being different by the lower breast and abdomen coloration, male's distinctive growling song and feathered culmen base.
The Growling Riflebird is distributed and endemic
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to the lowlands of easternmost Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. The male is polygamous and performs courtship display solitarily. The diet consists mainly of fruits and arthropods.
A common species throughout its range, the Growling Riflebird is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.