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23

Magnificent Riflebird (Ptiloris magnificus) Alternate name(s): "Albert's Riflebird", "Prince Albert's Riflebird" Size: 28-34 cm; wing span: 35-40 cm Body mass: 154-171 g (male), 94-112 g (female) Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.40-0.45 (male), 0.36-0.41 (female)

Australia: Family Group 23 Family Group 23 Table Paradise Riflebird Victoria's Riflebird Magnificent Riflebird Trumpet Manucode Australian Raven Forest Raven Little Raven Little Crow Torresian Crow White-winged Chough Apostlebird Green Catbird Spotted Catbird Golden Bowerbird Regent Bowerbird Satin Bowerbird Tooth-billed Bowerbird Spotted Bowerbird Western Bowerbird Fawn-breasted Bowerbird Great Bowerbird Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Magnificent Riflebirds are large birds of paradise. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Magnificent Riflebirds have glossy, "velvet"-black upperparts, a large, glossy-blue breast-shield with a fine black and yellow iridescent lower edge and otherwise dark olive-grey underparts. Long wispy plumes extend from the flanks, reaching as far as the end of the tail. Female Magnificent Riflebirds have an off-white throat patch and an otherwise light-buff front with fine, dense dark-brown barring. The head, except for white eyebrows, the nape of the neck, the rest of the back are all dark-olive; the tail is brownish-olive. The flight feathers are brown. The eyes of both sexes have brown irises. The long, narrow, slightly downward-curved bill is grey. The legs and feet are also grey. Juvenile males resemble females until they gradually moult into adult plumage. Twitcher's tip Compared with other Australian Riflebirds, male Magnificent Riflebirds have a much more prominent breast-shield.

Taxonomy, classification See Magnificent Riflebird at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Magnificent Riflebird is available HERE . Depending on authority, there are 2 or 3 extant races of Magnificent Riflebird, nominate race "magnificus", which is found from West Papua to all of Papua New Guinea, race "alberti", which resides in far north-eastern Australia, and also the "Growling Riflebird" (Ptiloris [magnificus] intercedens). In Australia the range of Magnificent Riflebirds, race "alberti", is limited. They are present only on the tip of Cape York peninsula, QLD, both on the western side towards the Gulf of Carpentaria and on the eastern side, where their range goes as far to the South as Iron Range NP, QLD. Magnificent Riflebirds have a preference for rainforest and adjacent forest.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "alberti" B. Hensen reports spotting Magnificent Riflebirds, race "alberti", at Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) NP, QLD, in December 2018. Click here for sighting information found a Magnificent Riflebird, race "alberti", at Cooks Hut, Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) NP, QLD, in September 2020. M. Eaton found a Magnificent Riflebird, race "alberti", at Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, in June 2024.

Photos

Race "alberti"

This race is also called "Albert's Riflebird".

ADULT

MALE

Head-on view of a male Magnificent Riflebird with iridescence on both crown and chest (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) NP, QLD, December 2018]

Frontal view of a male Magnificent Riflebird looking sideways (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) NP, QLD, December 2018]

Frontal view of a male Magnificent Riflebird looking sideways (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) NP, QLD, December 2018]

Close-up near-frontal/ventral view of a male Magnificent Riflebird (photo courtesy of )
[Cooks Hut, Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) NP, QLD, September 2023]

Lateral view of a male Magnificent Riflebird issuing its call (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) NP, QLD, December 2018]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a male Magnificent Riflebird (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) NP, QLD, December 2018]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Partly obscured frontal view of an immature male Magnificent Riflebird - note the emergence of the first iridescent feathers on the chest and the beginning darkening of the head and wings (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) NP, QLD, December 2018]

Partly obscured lateral view of an immature male Magnificent Riflebird - note the emergence of the first iridescent feathers on the chest and the beginning darkening of the head and belly (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) NP, QLD, December 2018]

Partly obscured ventral view of an immature male Magnificent Riflebird - note the beginning darkening of the belly, while the undertail coverts are still barred (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) NP, QLD, December 2018]

Behaviour

Food, Diet

Male Magnificent Riflebird feeding on fruit (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) NP, QLD, December 2018]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

More Magnificent Riflebird sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.