Victoria's Riflebird

1. Males: Velvety black with bright blue-green throat shield and crown

2. Females: Brown above, cinnamon underparts with small dark chevrons and pale eyebrow

3. Both sexes: Long, slender, downward-curved bill

Victoria’s Riflebird feeds on insects, spiders, and other small animals, as well as fruit. They use their long bills to probe bark and foliage for food. The species is polygynous: males display at traditional sites to attract females, performing a series of postures, wing movements, and calls. Only the female builds the nest, incubates 1-3 eggs, and raises the young. Nests are cup-shaped, made of leaves and vines, and placed in foliage or on broken trunks, sometimes up to 2 metres above the ground. Breeding occurs from August to February, and the male’s display is a highlight for birdwatchers, involving wing-arching, head-bobbing, and flashing the bright yellow mouth.

Victoria’s Riflebird is found only in the rainforests and adjacent wet forests of the Atherton Tableland and Wet Tropics region of northeastern Queensland, from south of Cooktown to just south of Townsville. They inhabit both lowland and upland rainforests up to about 1,2 metres elevation, and can also be seen in wet sclerophyll forests, swamp woodlands, and sometimes gardens or mangroves at the forest edge. Males are most visible during the breeding season (July–December), when they display from prominent perches and call loudly, especially at dawn`.`