Magnificent Riflebird

1. Males display velvety black plumage with iridescent blue-green crown and breast shield.

2. Females have brown upperparts, pale barred underparts, a prominent white eyebrow, and a dark moustachial streak.

3. Both sexes feature long, curved black bills adapted for foraging in bark and epiphytes.

These birds feed mainly on fruits and a variety of arthropods such as insects, spiders, and millipedes. Males and females often forage differently, with females sometimes joining mixed-species feeding flocks. The breeding season generally runs from June to February. Males establish display sites where they perform elaborate dances involving wing extension, hopping, and flashing their iridescent breast shield to attract females. The species is polygynous, with males courting multiple females. Females build nests aloneloose platforms of leaves and vines placed in trees or epiphytes, lay 1-2 eggs and solely incubate and raise the chicks.

Magnificent Riflebirds inhabit lowland to hill rainforests of northeastern Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula, especially in Iron Range National Park and McIlwraith Range. They occur from sea level up to around 7 meters elevation and occasionally use mangroves and forest edges. Early mornings are the best time to observe males performing their courtship displays, often accompanied by their distinctive three-note whistle that carries through the forest.