The spectacular Greater Bird-Of-Paradise, (Paradisaea apoda) was not in the range of our trip but since I posted about Lesser Birds of Paradise, I thought I should show you the difference.  The colouring is very similar but they are the largest member in the genus Paradisaea, with males measuring up to 43 cm (17 in) (excluding the long twin tail wires). The female is smaller, at only 35 cm (14 in).

Greater Bird-Of-Paradise, (Paradisaea apoda)

It is much harder to find them in the wild as their range isn’t in any of the main birding hotspots of West Papua which is generally the easiest place to get to for Birds of Paradise.  Some organized birding groups do go to Papua New Guinea but they are not cheap!

Distribution

This clip of the mating ritual of Greater Birds of Paradise was filmed on the Aru Islands.  In the image above, this is the smaller island with the green highlighting south of New Guinea to the left side.