23

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)

Similar species

Description

Classification

Distribution

Sightings

Photos

Breeding

Nest

Eggs

Behaviour

Food

Call/s

Physical description

Click here for physical description of this species 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 have 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.

Twitcher's tip

Compared with Paradise Riflebirds, male Victoria's Riflebirds have less prominent scales on their chests; females have less colour contrast on their front.

Taxonomy, classification

See Victoria's 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 based on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of Victoria's Riflebird is available HERE .

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.

Sightings

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.

Photos

ADULT

FEMALE

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 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]

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.

vicrifl_me_20200927.m4a

(N QLD)

Contact call (male)

More Victoria's Riflebird sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

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