Apparently it is the alluring light green color in the stunning finale that clinches the performance. And you know, of course, all of these colors that you see in all of these feathers and in the skin are the result of generations of females having selected for males that have them. But when he gets it lined up, like he does when he’s in his courtship display to the female, it’s this intense bright green color. That’s actually all bare skin. Like many birds of paradise, he performs his vivid and complex dance entirely for the benefit of the female, who, incidentally, is a dull shade of brown. Male Wilson's bird of paradise displays to female from a small sapling, Papua New Guinea (Credit: NPL/Tim Laman) Ed Scholes and Tim Laman, from the Cornell Lab of … And then there on the tail he’s got these two curlicue handlebar mustache looking tail feathers. Now if you were to look at them from the underside, there’s even a better example of that “now you see it, now you don’t” trick of iridescence on this brilliant emerald green breast shield. But yet perhaps the most hidden feature of color on this bird that becomes obvious in some video is that the inside of his mouth is also colored. UK viewers can tune in to Planet Earth II, which continues on BBC One this Sunday at 20:00 GMT. Decorated with the most extravagant plumes and feathers of any group of animals on Earth, the birds of paradise and their vibrant courtship dances have captivated scientists and explorers for more than 500 years. Wilson's bird of paradise is small bird. Yellows and reds are paintlike pigments. “We have to consider what we’re seeing, and what the female is seeing, and there are definitely a handful of other species where we haven’t seen the full story yet.”. ',” he laughs. “Even though I had an idea of what to expect, I was really surprised at how different it looked. It is the female that builds the nest and incubates the eggs. Missing the boat, is a rather generous understatement as it turns out, since when viewed from above, the Wilson’s bird of paradise doesn’t resemble a bird at all, rather a bright and shining green disc, which flashes and shimmers in the gloom of the forest floor. Read about our approach to external linking. And you see this bright yellow that’s on the nape and neck, and the crimson red that’s down the middle of the back and also on the coverts of the wings. And this is the Wilson’s bird-of-paradise. It is not known for sure about this species, but based on other bird of paradise species of the same size, it is believed that the female Wilson’s bird of paradise lays between 1 and 3 eggs per clutch and that they are tan or brown with dark spots. It’s hard to believe that we have been unwittingly admiring this dance for decades from the stalls, when all along the view from the dress circle was not only better, but a different show entirely. David Attenborough is a huge fan, and so it was no surprise that this family of birds were offered a starring role in his new series Planet Earth II. Females have reddish-brown to … Wilson's bird-of-paradise is rather small. Approximately the size of a starling, the male is dressed in an elaborate cape of vermillion, with a turquoise skull cap. : The Aerial Display of the Common Nighthawk, Storing Food: The Granaries of Acorn Woodpeckers. There are hardly any predators, since few mammals have managed to colonise it. Each splash of color has a story. And those aren’t feathers. There are two mating seasons per year for the Wilson's bird-of-paradise: from May until June and again in October. That color is made from the proteins inside the skin and how they’re arranged. Unlike the structural colors they’re always looking bright red and bright yellow from nearly every vantage point. The inside of his mouth is an incredibly bright ornament, and when he gapes, the female is essentially looking straight down his throat.”. It’s really extraordinary. There’s one species that really comes to mind as a fantastic example of all the remarkable attributes of color shown in all the birds-of-paradise. And all of them are used and utilized by the males in the context of his courtship display. UK viewers can tune in to Planet Earth II which continues on BBC One on Sundays at 8pm. A lot of times it just looks black. Lush, wet rain forests provide high energy fruits all year round, meaning females are able to raise chicks entirely alone. View image of Male Wilson's bird of paradise displays to female from a sapling (Credit: NPL/Tim Laman), watching and filming every species of bird of paradise, View image of Wilson's bird of paradise male on a display pole (Credit: NPL/Tim Laman), View image of Wilson's bird of paradise flaunts a magnificent emerald display (Credit: BBC), BBC's new personalised email newsletter here. And that blue color of the skin, that’s not pigment, that’s structural color, unlike anything else seen in other birds-of-paradise. You can see he’s got all the primary colors right there. This is going to be good! Blues and greens are created by the interaction of light and the microscopic structure of feathers and skin. But, crucially, she sits and critiques his concert from an elevated position, directly above him. This media cannot be played on your device. But what might be surprising, is that for centuries we have been viewing a number of their performances from entirely the wrong angle, and in doing so, have been missing half the show. These red and yellow feathers are a great example of pigment-based colors.