Rifle Bird mating dance

The male Victoria’s Riflebird is black with iridescent blue/green markings on his head, chest and tail. When he flies, you can hear a sound of rustling paper. The female and juveniles are brown. When calling to the female, the male makes a harsh, grating call, and opens his beak wide, showing the bright yellow colour inside. To attract a female, the male has a highly ritualized mating dance, see video. The female builds a well camouflaged nest of leaves amongst ferns and vine tendrils. Male juvenile