Editing Bird-of-paradise (section)

==Behaviour and ecology==

===Diet and feeding===
[[File:Ribbon-tailed Astrapia.jpg|thumb|right|Fruits of the genus ''[[Heptapleurum]]'' are an important part of the diet of the [[ribbon-tailed astrapia]].]]
The diet of the birds-of-paradise is dominated by fruit and arthropods, although small amounts of nectar and small vertebrates may also be taken. The ratio of the two food types varies by species, with fruit predominating in some species, and arthropods dominating the diet in others. The ratio of the two will affect other aspects of the behaviour of the species; for example, [[frugivorous]] species tend to feed in the forest canopy, whereas [[insectivore]]s may feed lower down in the middle storey. Frugivores are more social than the insectivores, which are more solitary and [[territory (animal)|territorial]].<ref name ="HBW"/>

Even the birds-of-paradise that are primarily insect eaters will still take large amounts of fruit. The family is overall an important seed disperser for the forests of New Guinea, as they do not digest the seeds. Species that feed on fruit will range widely searching for fruit, and while they may join other fruit-eating species at a fruiting tree, they will not associate with them otherwise and will not stay with other species for long. Fruit is eaten while perched and not in the air, and birds-of-paradise are able to use their feet as tools to manipulate and hold their food, allowing them to extract certain capsular fruit. There is some niche differentiation in fruit choice by species and any one species will only consume a limited number of fruit types compared to the large choice available. For example, the [[trumpet manucode]] and [[crinkle-collared manucode]] will eat mostly figs, whereas the [[Lawes's parotia]] focuses mostly on berries and the [[greater lophorina]] and [[raggiana bird-of-paradise]] take mostly capsular fruit.<ref name ="HBW"/>

===Breeding===
[[File:Victoria's Riflebird courtship - Lake Eacham - Queensland S4E8070 (22198704599).jpg|thumb|A male Victoria's riflebird displays and is inspected by a female.]]
Most species have elaborate mating rituals, with at least eight species exhibiting [[lek mating]] systems,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Beehler|first1=Bruce|last2=Pruett-Jones|first2=Stephen G.|date=1983|title=Display dispersion and diet of birds of paradise: a comparison of nine species|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf00299927|journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology|volume=13|issue=3|pages=229–238|doi=10.1007/bf00299927|s2cid=21374280|issn=0340-5443}}</ref> including the genus ''Paradisaea''. Others, such as the ''[[Cicinnurus]]'' and ''[[Parotia]]'' species, have highly ritualised mating dances. Across the family (Paradisaeidae), female preference is incredibly important in shaping the courtship behaviors of males and, in fact, drives the evolution of ornamental combinations of sound, color, and behavior.<ref name="BOP2018">
{{cite journal
|last=Ligon
|first=Russell A.
|author2=Diaz, Christopher D.
|author3=Morano, Janelle L.
|author4=Troscianko, Jolyon
|author5=Stevens, Martin
|author6=Moskeland, Annalyse
|author7=Laman, Timothy G.
|author8=Scholes III, Edwin
|year=2019
|title=Evolution of correlated complexity in the radically different courtship signals of birds-of-paradise
|journal=PLOS Biology
|volume=16
|issue=11
|page=e2006962
|doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.2006962
|pmid=30457985
|pmc=6245505
|doi-access=free
}}
[https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2006962 Open access]
</ref> Males are [[Animal sexual behaviour#Polygamy|polygamous]] in the [[sexually dimorphic]] species, but [[Monogamy in animals|monogamous]] in at least some of the monomorphic species. [[Hybrid (biology)|Hybridisation]] is frequent in these birds, suggesting the polygamous species of bird of paradise are very closely related despite being in different genera. Many hybrids have been described as new species in the past,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Koch|first=André|date=2018-05-31|title=Discovery of a rare hybrid specimen known as Maria's bird of paradise at the Staatliches Naturhistorisches Museum in Braunschweig|url=https://zse.pensoft.net/article/25139/|journal=Zoosystematics and Evolution|language=en|volume=94|issue=2|pages=315–324|doi=10.3897/zse.94.25139|issn=1860-0743|doi-access=free}}</ref> and doubt remains regarding whether some forms, such as [[Rothschild's lobe-billed bird-of-paradise]], are valid.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=Kimberly G.|last2=Fuller|first2=Errol|date=1997|title=The Lost Birds of Paradise|journal=The Condor|volume=99|issue=4|pages=1016|doi=10.2307/1370166|jstor=1370166|issn=0010-5422|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Birds-of-paradise build their nests from soft materials, such as leaves, ferns, and vine tendrils, typically placed in a tree fork.<ref name=EoB/> The typical number of eggs in each [[Clutch (eggs)|clutch]] varies among the species and is not known for every species. For larger species, it is almost always just one egg, but smaller species may produce clutches of 2–3 eggs.<ref>
{{cite journal
|last=Mackay
|first=Margaret D.
|year=1990
|title=The Egg of Wahnes' Parotia ''Parotia wahnesi'' (Paradisaeidae)
|journal=Emu
|volume=90
|issue=4
|page=269
|doi=10.1071/mu9900269a
}}
[http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=MU9900269.pdf PDF fulltext]
</ref> Eggs hatch after 16–22 days, and the young leave the nest at between 16 and 30 days of age.<ref name=EoB>
{{cite book
|editor=Forshaw, Joseph
|author= Frith, Clifford B.
|year=1991
|title=Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds
|publisher= Merehurst Press
|location=London
|pages= 228–231
|isbn= 1-85391-186-0
}}
</ref>