# Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Paradisaea raggiana (Salvadori, 1877) — family Paradisaeidae*

> The Raggiana bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea raggiana) is Papua New Guinea's national bird, a lowland species in which males gather at shared display trees in leks and spread long crimson flank plumes; it is listed as Least Concern but faces lowland forest loss.

**IUCN status:** Least Concern — but lowland forest loss and plume demand continue  ·  **WARN range:** Southern and eastern New Guinea, Papua New Guinea lowland forests

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Length | About 34 cm excluding flank plumes |
| Male display | Lek — multiple males on a shared display tree |
| National status | National bird of Papua New Guinea |
| Female plumage | Plain brown — no ornament |
| Habitat | Lowland and hill forest |
| Main threats | Lowland forest clearance; loss of display trees |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Passeriformes
- **Family:** Paradisaeidae
- **Genus:** Paradisaea
- **Species:** Paradisaea raggiana

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Least Concern
- **Population:** No reliable estimate exists
- **Trend:** Decreasing
- **Assessed:** 2016
- **CITES:** Appendix II
- Lowland forest is being cleared faster than montane forest across New Guinea. Display trees left standing after surrounding forest is felled cannot support lekking.

## Key facts: Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise
- The Raggiana bird-of-paradise is the national bird of Papua New Guinea and appears on the national flag.
- Males display at leks — shared display trees where several males perform simultaneously while females choose among them.
- The display involves spreading long crimson flank plumes upward and hopping along a branch, unlike the king bird-of-paradise which displays alone and hangs upside down.
- Females are plain brown and raise the young alone, which is typical of the family and explains the extreme male ornament.
- The species occupies lowland and hill forest across much of southern and eastern New Guinea, placing it in the altitude band most affected by logging and oil palm.
- Over 90% of land in Papua New Guinea is held under customary tenure, so protection of display trees and surrounding forest depends on landowning clans rather than on state reserves alone.

## Why leks instead of solo displays?
In a lek, males gather at a fixed site and compete purely through display rather than through territory quality or nest provision. Females visit, inspect several males in succession, and mate with one or a few. The males contribute nothing further.

Lekking is rare in birds generally but appears in several bird-of-paradise genera, including Paradisaea. It concentrates display effort in a place females can find reliably, which matters in dense rainforest where individuals are otherwise hard to locate. It also intensifies competition: a male on a lek tree is judged directly against his neighbours, which may explain why Raggiana plumes are longer and more voluminous than those of species that display alone. The king bird-of-paradise, by contrast, holds a solitary perch and performs a sequence that ends upside down — a different solution to the same problem of being chosen.

## The display
A lek tree may hold up to a dozen males, each on his own branch. When a female approaches, males begin calling — a series of loud squawks and rattles — and hop along their branch with wings spread and the long crimson flank plumes raised vertically above the back.

The plumes are the signal. They are among the longest ornamental feathers in the family relative to body size, and their colour is structural as well as pigment-based, shifting with viewing angle in the dim understory light. Females move between males, sometimes perching beside one for close inspection before moving on. There is no pair bond and no male parental care. She will build a nest, incubate and rear the chick alone.

## National symbol, lowland reality
Papua New Guinea adopted the Raggiana as its national bird and placed it on the flag because the plumes carry long-standing ceremonial significance across many Papuan cultures. Headdresses and body adornment using bird-of-paradise feathers remain part of customary practice, distinct from the commercial plume trade that devastated populations in the nineteenth century.

The species is listed as Least Concern because it remains widespread, but the listing describes range rather than trajectory. Lowland forest — the altitude band this bird occupies — is being cleared for oil palm, logging and mining faster than montane forest across New Guinea. Display trees are sometimes left standing when surrounding forest is felled, but a lek tree without connected canopy is useless. The national bird's security depends on forest that is being removed from exactly the elevations where it lives.

## Customary land and display trees
Over 90% of land in Papua New Guinea is held under customary tenure rather than state ownership. That means a government-declared protected area has no force unless the clans who own the land agree to it, and it also means that local decisions about hunting, logging and forest use are made by landowners rather than by a distant authority.

Some communities have long-standing taboos against killing birds-of-paradise or felling known display trees. Others have lost those restrictions as cash economies and logging concessions have expanded. Conservation that works in this context treats customary landowners as decision-makers, not as obstacles — because legally and practically, they are the only people who can protect a lek tree or the forest around it. The Raggiana's political visibility on the flag has not, by itself, translated into secure lowland forest.

## What WARN does
WARN publishes free, sourced species education, including for animals that are national symbols but not secure. The Raggiana bird-of-paradise appears on a flag and in ceremonial dress across Papua New Guinea, yet the lowland forest it depends on is among the most rapidly converted habitat on the island.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

## Frequently asked questions: Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise
### What is the national bird of Papua New Guinea?
The Raggiana bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea raggiana). It appears on the national flag and its crimson plumes carry long-standing ceremonial significance across many Papuan cultures.

### How does the Raggiana bird-of-paradise display?
Males gather at shared display trees in leks — up to a dozen on one tree — and call, hop and spread long crimson flank plumes upward while females visit to choose. This contrasts with the king bird-of-paradise, which displays alone from a perch.

### How is the Raggiana different from the king bird-of-paradise?
The king is the smallest species at about 16 cm and displays alone, ending upside down. The Raggiana is larger, displays in leks with multiple males on one tree, and spreads long crimson flank plumes rather than hanging from a branch.

### Why are birds-of-paradise so elaborately ornamented?
Because females raise young alone and choose mates on display alone. With no parenting role, males face no penalty for being conspicuous, so female preference and male ornament escalate together over time.

### Who protects bird-of-paradise habitat in Papua New Guinea?
Over 90% of land is held under customary tenure, so protection depends on landowning clans choosing to keep forest and display trees. Some communities maintain taboos against killing birds-of-paradise; others have lost those restrictions as logging has expanded.

### Are raggiana bird-of-paradises dangerous?
Raggiana Bird-of-Paradises are not generally dangerous to people. The Raggiana bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea raggiana) is Papua New Guinea's national bird, a lowland species in which males gather at shared display trees in leks and spread long crimson flank plumes; it is listed as Least Concern but faces lowland forest loss. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

### How long do raggiana bird-of-paradises live?
Raggiana Bird-of-Paradises typically live Plain brown — no ornament. The Raggiana bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea raggiana) is Papua New Guinea's national bird, a lowland species in which males gather at shared display trees in leks and spread long crimson flank plumes; it is listed as Least Concern but faces lowland forest loss. Wild and captive figures can differ; use the sources listed on the guide for the underlying studies.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Paradisaea raggiana](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22706249/94058003)
- [Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Birds-of-Paradise Project](https://www.birdsofparadiseproject.org/)
- [CITES Appendices](https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/raggiana-bird-of-paradise