Glossy-mantled Manucode
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© William T. Cooper
Fast Facts
Common name
Glossy-mantled Manucode
Scientific name
Manucodia ater
Etymology
Manucodia (old Javanese (Malay) Manuk dewata = birds of the gods); ater (Latin, black)
Description
Sexually monomorphic. Adult males, 38–42 cm; adult females, 33–37 cm. Plumage highly-glossed purple with blue and green highlights and some tightly curled or crinkled feathers, particularly on nape,throat and upper breast.
Diet
Mostly fruits, in particular figs, and also some flowers, insects and worms.
Habitat
Lowland forest, swamp forest, forest edge, riverine and monsoon forests, mangroves, gardens and woodlands; sea level to low hills, less commonly to 1100 m.
Courtship
Display season undefined; one display recorded in January. Male displays on tree branches, spreading and shaking wings and erecting body plumage.
Breeding
Monogamous. Both sexes incubate, and attend to the nest and nestling. Breeding mostly August-March. Nests are deep pockets in slender vine tendrils. Incubation 14–18 days; nestling period more than 19 days. No hybridisation known.
Status and conservation
Not threatened; common but inconspicuous throughout range.
Distribution
New Guinea: patchily throughout lowlands and on Aru, Samarai, Sariba, Mailu, Yule and Tagula Islands.
