Courtship and Mating Behaviour of the Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise Seleucidis melanoleuca

Clifford B. Frith and Bruce M. Beehler

Abstract

We describe the mating behaviour of the Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise Seleucidis melanoleuca from displays and copulations filmed and observed in the wild. We describe for the first time the Wire-wipe Display, performed by the adult male to best present his flank plumes and his bare pigmented thighs to the female and to use his unique 12 flank plume ‘wires’ to brush across the female’s face and foreparts. We also highlight advertisement and courtship display postures and pre-copulatory movements that appear homologous to those performed byParadisaea species in similar contexts. This and other evidence including morphology suggests that Seleucidis may be more closely related to Paradisaea than previously acknowledged.

Emu 97(2) 133 - 140  doi:10.1071/MU97017