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Victoria's Riflebird
(Ptiloris victoriae)
: "Lesser Rifle-bird", "Queen Victoria Riflebird"
Aboriginal name(s): "duwuduwu"
Size: 23-25 cm
Weight: 90-120 g (male), 75-95 g (female)
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Victoria's Riflebirds are small birds of paradise.
Their plumage is
dimorphic, i.e.
males and
females
are different.
Male
Victoria's Riflebirds have glossy, "velvet"-black
plumage, except for
the belly, which is glossy-olive. Only the crown, the "gorget"
and the central tail feathers have purple to turquoise
iridescensce.
Female
Victoria's Riflebirds are much plainer, with an off-white throat
patch with a black stripe on either side of it and an otherwise
cinnamon-buff front with sparse, relatively inconspicuous brown
chevrons.
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 brownish.
The eyes of both sexes have brown irises. The long, narrow,
slightly downward-curved bill
(females
have a longer bill than
males) is
grey. The legs and feet are also grey.
Juvenile males
resemble
females
until they moult into their adult
plumage.
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Twitcher's tip |
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Compared with Paradise
Riflebirds, male Victoria's Riflebirds have less prominent scales
on their chests; females have less colour contrast on their front.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Victoria's
Riflebird at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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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
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The global distribution of Victoria's Riflebird is available
HERE
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Victoria's Riflebirds are endemic to Australia.
They are found only in the Atherton (and adjacent) Tablelands,
from just to the South of Cooktown to Townsville, QLD.
Victoria's Riflebirds have a preference for
rainforest
and adjacent
woodlands.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
B. Hensen reports spotting a Victoria's Riflebird at
Julatten, QLD, in July 2013.
M. Eaton found a Victoria's Riflebird at Kuranda, near Cairns,
QLD, in July 2018.
A. Ross-Taylor reports finding Victoria's Riflebirds on the
Atherton Tablelands, QLD, in May 2022.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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Near-frontal view of a male Victoria's Riflebird
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Atherton Tablelands, QLD, May 2022]
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FEMALE |
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Near-frontal view of a female Victoria's Riflebird
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Julatten, QLD, July 2013]
Near-frontal view of a female Victoria's Riflebird
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kuranda, near Cairns, QLD, July 2018]
Near-lateral view of a female Victoria's Riflebird
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Atherton Tablelands, QLD, May 2022]
Near-lateral view of a female Victoria's Riflebird searching
for insects (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Julatten, QLD, July 2013]
Lateral view of a female Victoria's Riflebird using its powerful
bill to debark a dead branch in search of insects
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Julatten, QLD, July 2013]
Near-dorsal view of a female Victoria's Riflebird
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Julatten, QLD, July 2013]
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Call(s)/Song |
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For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own; are welcome.
More Victoria's Riflebird sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
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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.