The curl-crested manucode (Manucodia comrii) is a large bird of paradise, about 43 cm long, with glossy purple, black and green plumage, red iris and crinkled yellowish-green upper breast and neck feathers. It has curled head feathering and twisted central tail feathers. It is the largest species in its family, though its tail is shorter than the black sicklebill.

It is found in the Trobriand Islands and islands of the D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago. This species is also one of the largest and heaviest among birds of paradise. They eat fruits.

Curl-crested manucode

The British zoologist Philip Lutley Sclater named this species after Peter Comrie, who discovered the bird at Fergusson Island in 1874.

Curl-crested manucode

References

Database entry includes a lengthy justification of why this species is of least concern audio recording of this bird at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Curl-crested manucode

Manucodia

Birds of Oceania