Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise
Seleucidis melanoleucus
LCLeast Concern Endemic to New Guinea (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea)
- Family
- Birds-of-paradise (Paradisaeidae)
- Order
- Passeriformes
Overview
The twelve-wired bird-of-paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus) is a medium-sized, approximately 33 cm (13 in) long, velvet black and yellow bird-of-paradise. The male has a red iris, long black bill and rich yellow plumes along his flanks. From the rear of these plumes emerge twelve blackish, wire-like filaments, which bend back near their bases to sweep forward over the bird's hindquarters. The female is a brown bird with black-barred buff underparts.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
New Guinea including west Papuan islands.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Countries
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Twelve-wired bird-of-paradise
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
