Birds of Paradise - "Why do they do that?"

There are 42 different birds-of-paradise and most can be found on New Guinea and the surrounding islands. The majority of birds-of-paradise live in tropical forests including rainforest, swamps and moss forest, with nearly all of them being solitary tree dwellers.

They are a special group of birds with amazing colours, large feathers and impressive dancing. Some species carry out such elaborate and strange displays that it leaves those who see it in awe, wondering how and why they perform in this way.

The Raggiana Bird of Paradise performing it's dance.

Europeans first discovered the birds in 1522, when Magellan’s only surviving ship returned home after its world voyage. Naturalists Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin then visited New Guinea in the 1850s. They were awestruck by the beauty and variety of the birds. It was the amazing colours and enlarged feather plumes that caught Darwin’s interest, since they seemed to conflict with his developing theory of natural selection, which favors traits that offer the best survival for the individual. Darwin believed the colours, modified plumes, and dances were intended to help males gain favor with females and had nothing to do with survival. Years later, he explained that the male beauty was a result of sexual selection, a concept that was far ahead of its time.

These bizarre and interesting dances aren’t random coincidence. Young males inherit the dance moves from their fathers, then refine them through practice and watching adults. The females watch carefully when the males perform as it is ultimately their choice that decides which dances are the best and will make it to the next generation.

Below are a couple of videos where I have created a collection of weird and wonderful bird dances and mating displays, which includes many varieties of the birds-of-paradise so you can see for yourself some of the amazing dances they perform.

Enjoy!