Growling Riflebird – Ptiloris intercedens Sharpe, 1882 of Central Province / Papua new guinea 800m ASL.

Ptiloris intercedens, the Growling Riflebird, is a medium-sized bird-of-paradise measuring approximately 28–34 centimetres in length. It occurs in lowland, hill and lower montane forests of eastern Papua New Guinea. The species shows pronounced sexual dimorphism: adult males have predominantly velvety-black plumage with iridescent blue-green areas on the crown and throat and a conspicuous yellow mouth lining, whereas females are brown with strongly barred underparts. The polygynous male performs its courtship display alone on a horizontal branch, raising its rounded wings around the body, displaying the yellow interior of its mouth and making rapid alternating wing movements. Its English name refers to the characteristic growling call of the male. The generic name Ptiloris is derived from the Greek words ptilon, meaning “feather”, and rhis, meaning “nose” or “nostril”, referring to the feathering around the base of the bill. The Latin species epithet intercedens means “intervening” or “intermediate” and refers to the taxon’s originally perceived intermediate position between related riflebird forms.