One of the most striking behaviours of the superb bird-of-paradise is the extraordinary courtship display of the male. Courtship displays have been observed between August and January, and the male establishes and displays from a territory (2). The display begins with the male in a slightly crouched position, before alternately flashing the iridescent breast shield or flicking up the black cape feathers, while watching the female (5).
After this initial display, the male fully expands the spectacular breast shield and flicks the cape feathers forward, over and around the sides of the head. The result is a complete circle of black, broken only by the iridescent breast shield feathers and eye spots. With the feathers in this position, the male then begins an animated dance around the female (5). During this dance, the male superb bird-of-paradise may also produce a series of clicking noises created by sudden movement of the wings (2).
The male superb bird-of-paradise is polygamous and may mate with many females. The female alone is responsible for building the nest and caring for the young. Nests have been observed to be cup-shaped, and constructed from plant material, including fern fronds. A clutch can contain 1 to 2 eggs, and in captivity the female incubates these for 18 to 19 days, with the young fledging 18 days after hatching (2).
Hopping between branches and trees, the superb bird-of-paradise forages by probing among moss and other epiphytic growth in search of food. The diet of the superb bird-of-paradise varies with seasonal availability, although it feeds mainly on invertebrates and fruit (2).