Crested Satinbird Cnemophilus macgregorii Scientific name definitions

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Crested Satinbird (Yellow)

24 cm; male 94–104 g, one female 91 g. Upper ridge of culmen broadly flat towards skull, gape wide, tail graduated. Male has forehead, upper ear-coverts and entire upperparts brilliant silky flame-yellow with iridescent white highlights, duller on back, and cinnamon on upperwing and uppertail; small erectile (usually concealed) sagittal crest of 4–6 sickle-shaped feathers dark buff with golden iridescent gloss; lores, lower ear-coverts, tiny narrow line above centre of eye, and entire underparts brownish black with coppery-bronze dull sheen; variable cinnamon feathers on thighs and flanks; iris dark brown to bluish grey; bill dark brownish black, mouth pinkish; legs purplish brown to brown-black. Female is slightly smaller than male and very different in plumage, fairly uniform brown-olive, underparts slightly paler and buffier, especially on belly and undertail-coverts, with iris dark brown-grey to dark bluish grey, bill brownish black, legs dark brownish to brownish black, mouth pale green. Juvenile is briefly grey; immature male like adult female but with paler bill, legs and iris brownish to brown-grey; subadult male varies, from like adult female with few feathers of adult male plumage to like adult male with few feathers of female-like plumage remaining, also tail longer than adult male.

Crested Satinbird (Red)

24 cm; male 94–120 g, female 79–125 g. Upper ridge of culmen broadly flat towards skull, gape wide, tail graduated. Male has erectile (usually concealed) sagittal crest of 4–6 sickle-shaped brownish-purple crown plumes extending back from forehead; otherwise forehead, crown and upper ear-coverts to nape and entire upperparts flame-red to rich reddish orange with iridescent whitish highlights, somewhat duller on back; upperwing and tail fairly dark rufous-tinged cinnamon; lores, tiny narrow line above centre of eye, lower ear-coverts, throat and entire underparts brownish black with minimal dull coppery sheen; some (variable) cinnamon feathers on thighs and flanks; iris dark brown-grey to bluish grey; bill brownish black, mouth pinkish; legs purplish brown to brownish black. Female is slightly smaller than male and very different in appearance, being fairly uniformly brownish olive , slightly paler and buffier below (especially on belly and undertail-coverts), with iris dark brown-grey to dark bluish grey, bill brownish black, mouth pale green, legs dark brownish to brownish black. Juvenile is briefly grey. Immature male like adult female but with paler bill, legs and iris brownish to brown-grey; subadult male variable, some like adult female with few feathers of adult male plumage, some like adult male with few feathers of female-like plumage remaining, also tail longer than adult male’s.

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Crested Satinbird (Yellow)

Hitherto treated as conspecific with C. sanguineus (which see). Distribution limits uncertain, possibly wider than listed below; birds on Kratke Mts unassigned to species, and may be intermediate with C. sanguineus (1 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Monotypic.

Crested Satinbird (Red)

Hitherto treated as conspecific with C. macgregorii, but differs in male’s flame-red vs orange-tinged yellow upper body (3); black vs brown bill (2); mid-brownish-purple vs dark-edged buffy crown plumes (2); and darker-shaded, more rufous-tinged tail and outer vanes of wings (ns[1]); also marginally longer wings and shorter tail (1 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ) (differences trivial). Birds on Kratke Mts may be intermediate (1 Frith, C. B., and B. M. Beehler (1998). The Birds of Paradise. Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), while those from Kubor Mts (E New Guinea) have sometimes been separated as race kuboriensis. Monotypic.

Crested Satinbird (Yellow)

SE New Guinea (E at least from Ekuti Divide, S of Wau to Mt Knutsford, NE Port Moresby, perhaps farther S).

Crested Satinbird (Red)

Mountains of E New Guinea (Kaijende Highlands, Mt Giluwe and Mt Hagen region E to at least Bismarck Mts and Kubor Range); also undiagnosed population in highlands of C New Guinea (N of L Habbema) (2 Beehler, B. M., and T. K. Pratt (2016). Birds of New Guinea: Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ).

Crested Satinbird (Yellow)

Upper montane and subalpine forest and forest edge, including second growth, disturbed vegetation and shrubbery; 2100–3650 m, mainly 2600–3500 m.

Crested Satinbird (Red)

Crested Satinbird (Yellow)

Few data. Some altitudinal movement likely.

Crested Satinbird (Red)

Crested Satinbird (Yellow)

Only fruits recorded, mostly simple drupes or berries plucked and swallowed whole, without manipulation by bill or feet. Fruits taken mainly from middle and lower strata of dense forest edges or second growth. Usually forages alone, but several males and female-plumaged individuals may gather in fruiting plants together with other frugivorous species.

Crested Satinbird (Red)

Diet almost entirely of fruits (e.g. Zygogynum argentia, Timonius belensis, Riedelia sp., Rapanea sp., Acronychia kaindiensis, Schefflera sp., Xanthomyrtus sp., Ficus sp., Dimorphanthera alpinia, Alpinia spp., Garcinia sp., Elaeocarpus sp., Syzygium sp., Symplocos cochinchinensis), but very small shelled molluscs also identified in faecal samples. Fruits, ranging from drupes to berries, generally c. 3–12 mm in diameter (3 Diamond, J. M. (1972). Avifauna of the Eastern Highlands of New Guinea. Publications of the Nuttall Ornithological Club 12. Cambridge, MA, USA. Close ), plucked and swallowed whole, without manipulation by bill or feet; larger fruits sometimes dissected and consumed. Nestling is fed solely with fruits (occasional tiny shelled mollusc incidental). Fruits taken mainly from middle and lower strata in dense forest edge or second growth, up to 25 m above ground, but usually no higher than 12 m. Usually forages alone, but several males (up to nine) and female-plumaged individuals may gather in fruiting plants together with other frugivorous species, including members of Paradisaeidae.

Crested Satinbird (Yellow)

Unconfirmed if male has advertisement vocalization. Calls include harsh and rasping sounds, low harsh hissing, loud clicking repeated several times, and explosive muffled bark repeated at long intervals.

Crested Satinbird (Red)

Not very vocal. Male emits loud hisses, as well as series of repeated dull clicking sounds and a loud creaking sound. A female attending nestling gave soft “wark, wark” on approaching nest; another nest-approaching female repeated a soft sharp “whit”, and when disturbed produced soft churring growl as scold; harsh persistent sound like scraping or the tearing of heavy material sometimes uttered by female when disturbed at nest with young.

Crested Satinbird (Yellow)

Virtually nothing known. Details probably very similar to those for C. sanguineus.

Crested Satinbird (Red)

Season Aug–Jan in EC highlands; display season undefined, but birds with enlarged gonads in Jun–Nov on Mt Hagen, courting well established in Jun, full sperm production Jul–Sept, and mating before mid Nov. Polygynous; presumed solitary, promiscuous male attends traditional advertisement-singing perches; female builds and attends nest alone. Male appeared to patrol possible territory c. 200 m in diameter, but territoriality unconfirmed. Nest globular (mean height 220 mm, width 197 mm, depth 175 mm) with horizontally ovate entrance hole (122 mm × 74 mm), externally consisting of green mosses and green fern fronds (which blend with adjacent vegetation) placed on foundation of woody sticks (250–300 mm long), interior lined exclusively with green-yellow epiphytic orchid stems, and egg-chamber with finer ones; built c. 1·9–3·7 m (mean 2·6 m) above ground atop decayed mossy tree stump, on side of mossy tree trunk, or within branches of tree and associated vegetation. Clutch probably one egg, pinkish buff with irregularly scattered dark blotches, size 38·9 mm × 25·8 mm (n = 1); incubation period probably at least 26 days; nestling period more than 30 days.

Crested Satinbird (Yellow)

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Restricted-range species: confined to a small section of the Central Papuan Mountains EBA. CITES II. Secretive habits limit meaningful assessment of abundance, but no immediate or long-term global threats apparent. Occurs patchily, in part a result of restricted altitudinal range.

Crested Satinbird (Red)

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Restricted-range species: present in Central Papuan Mountains EBA. CITES II. Secretive habits limit meaningful assessment of abundance, but no immediate or long-term global threats apparent. Occurs patchily, in part a result of restricted altitudinal range.