Flame Bowerbird Sericulus ardens Scientific name definitions

25·5 cm; two captive males 120 g and 140 g, five females 127–168 g. Generally like S. aureus, but slightly smaller, shorter-tailed, and lacking black facial mask, and with bill finer, paler and slightly longer. Male has crown , nape and mantle rich and dark glossy flame-scarlet, gloss reflecting white highlights; chin and throat deep yellow; elongate deep orange upper neck plumage (may fall to either side of neck) and mantle become increasingly suffused with orange, and mid-back to uppertail-coverts deep yellow; upperwing mostly brilliant deep yellow, small area of black spotting just above carpal joint (forming black patch); uppertail black, fine yellow edging on some or all rectrices, very faint yellow tips (can be lacking); underparts deep yellow, paler than upperparts, undertail-coverts more pale and washed out; iris bright yellow; bill pale grey; legs blackish. Female is similar in size to male, except for longer tail; plumage radically different, olive-brown above, redder about head, orange-yellow below, chin to upper breast washed olive-brown, slightly darker feather edging on chest feathers (forming only faint scalloping), iris dark brown. Newly fledged juvenile has crown down silvery grey, bare face, bill base and throat bright flesh-pink, underpart plumage soft downy white with faintest yellow wash, thereafter like female but paler, bright yellow underpart feathering intruding into softer, white plumage on each side of central sternum, iris dark grey-brown; immature male similar to adult female; subadult male like adult female, but with few to almost all feathers of adult male plumage intruding into female-like plumage.

S New Guinea from Wataikwa R–Mimika R and upper Noord R–Endrich R E to upper Fly R, Strickland R and Nomad R, and to near Ludesa Mission (Mt Bosavi); also in Tarara–Morehead area and inland from Merauke (between Kumbe and Merauke R).

Lowland and foothill rainforest and tall secondary forest, including patches in flat savanna (mainly beneath Melaleuca in Trans-Fly). A few bowers were on gently sloping ground in foothill forest, swamp-forest, and tall secondary forest with sparse undergrowth and slender trees, sometimes adjacent to a treefall.

Presumed resident.

Diet little known; fruits and insects. Forages singly, sometimes in twos or threes, and occasionally in company with other avian frugivores.

Few records; harsh rasping and hissing notes, and oft-repeated churring "shh" or faint "ksh" note.

Display season in E of range mostly May–Jul at Nomad R and Aug–Nov near Strickland R. Polygynous, promiscuous male seasonally building and decorating avenue bower. Bower neatly constructed with thicker, shorter sticks in outside bases of walls and finer longer ones within, average dimensions of three bowers 23 cm long, 16 cm wide and 19 cm high externally, avenue 17 cm long and 8 cm wide, and compass orientations at 355°, 55° and 30°; decorations (up to about ten) include blue, purple and brown fruits, purple and white flowers, snail shells, and yellow-brown leaves within avenue, blackish glossy leaves outside it; decoration theft unrecorded, but bower destruction may occur (one bird destroyed a bower, but unknown if it was owner or a rival male); "paint" applied to inside avenue walls. Courtship recently observed at Kiunga (in NE of range): on catching sight of visiting female, male collected some sticks from nearby and began to dance, during which he tried first to make himself appear as small as possible, and then to look bigger by "pumping" himself up (enhancing the effect by spreading his wings); dancing seemed to be signal for female to inspect bower and, when she did, male's dancing intensified; male and female touched bills while both were at the bower. No information on nest and other aspects in the wild; in captivity, clutch 1 egg, incubation period 21–22 days, nestling period 21–23 days (partly artificial incubation period 21 days and nestling period 22 days), juvenile feeding independently 50–56 days after hatching.

Not assessed. Usually treated as conspecific with A. aureus. Probably not globally threatened. Little-known species. Not uncommon in Wataikwa R area in W of range and in Fly R region in EC part. People of Fly R wore dried skins of adult males, with skins traded to coast and Daru I; a dried skin obtained at Mt Hagen (outside range of this species). Skins of adult males occasionally decorate vehicle rear-view mirrors in Kiunga area; contemporary and future forestry activity of concern in this area.