- 1 day ago
An exploration of the world's most spectacular birds....
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🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:12Thank you for listening.
00:53You have to try to outsmart them.
01:00As we succeed in getting the moment of transformation, that's going to be the holy grail.
01:07A quest to find and photograph all 39 species of these spectacular creatures.
01:14Kind of a narrow spot to get through here.
01:16And to capture some never-before-seen firsts for science.
01:21No way.
01:22No way.
01:31No way.
01:49It's an assignment-turned-obsession.
01:52A search for one of nature's holy grails.
01:55Images of every species of this flamboyant family of birds.
02:03Iridescent feathers.
02:06Outlandish shapes.
02:09Precision choreography.
02:13Extreme ornamentation.
02:16Cacophonous flapping.
02:21Male birds of paradise whose adaptations have only one purpose.
02:26To attract a mate.
02:33New Guinea, where birds of paradise live, is one of the most remote places on Earth.
02:40Tim and Ed have taken over 20 expeditions to more than 50 field sites.
02:45Suffered countless days in the rain-soaked jungle.
02:48And one burst appendix.
02:51They've survived it all.
02:53Plus, dubious flights.
02:56Perilous boat rides.
02:58Grueling hikes.
02:59I really love you.
03:01And the jungle.
03:03Pulsing with poisonous life.
03:05You've got to keep your eye out for them.
03:07So when you're bashing through the forest, you've got to pay attention.
03:10Or you might end up with one of these on your face.
03:16They've filmed a lot of birds.
03:18But they still have a few adventures left on their Birds of Paradise bucket list.
03:24Their first target, the Wands' Parodia, is a creature that transforms from bird to ballerina in the blink of an
03:31eye.
03:32They live way up in the Sarawagat Mountains.
03:42Getting into this location has turned into a bit of a transportation nightmare in the last few days.
03:49The plane that we were counting on flying in on had a small incident at an airstrip and had a
03:54crash landing.
03:56So we decided to go with a helicopter option.
04:01When they finally do take to the air, they'll be heading for a landing pad they're not even sure exists.
04:07So we have no idea whether it's even a helipad that a helicopter can land on.
04:13They can only safely fly in clear weather.
04:18The mountains here are really, really steep.
04:21You know, some of these ridges are, you know, over 6,000 feet.
04:24No pilot in Papua New Guinea flies when you can't see.
04:35Fortunately, the next day breaks clear.
04:45They're flying into one of the least explored places on Earth.
04:51From the air, there isn't a road in sight.
04:54Wow, what did they compare to yesterday?
05:04Birds of Paradise are also cut off from the world.
05:08The definitive field guides have countless entries that read simply unknown.
05:15Tim and Ed are filling in the blanks.
05:18It's not so much just being the first, but just the fact that it hasn't been done.
05:21This group of birds hadn't been documented in the wild.
05:26The biological wonder of the world.
05:28It's like, why the Great Pyramids?
05:31Why Machu Picchu?
05:32It's like the avian equivalent of looking at animal life on another planet.
05:37Or perhaps for many planets, each species more incredible than the next.
05:47Parodia are famous for the intricacy of their dancing.
05:52Their choreography is part river dance, part OCD.
05:58This one, Corolla's Parodia, draws an endless figure eight in the air.
06:03Strange, but the females seem to like it.
06:12Deciphering what the male's behavior means to the females is like learning another language.
06:18This mission is all about cracking the code of the wands' display.
06:23I'm real excited to be back to see this species of Parodia.
06:27I spent so many years studying them, and it's nice to be back.
06:31They're kind of like old friends for me.
06:33On one of these ridges is a field camp Tim and Ed will call home for the next three weeks.
06:40If they can land.
06:42Rory, we're just looking for a cut clearing on a ridge.
06:48Hopefully they can get a telepad for us.
06:50Yeah.
06:51It is the moment of truth.
06:53Yeah, really?
06:54Yeah.
06:55Hope, let's hope, let's hope.
06:57I see smoke go ahead on the ridge, right there.
07:00You can see the bamboo there.
07:02There it is.
07:04What do you think, Rory?
07:05Yeah, no problem.
07:07Barely a challenge.
07:09That's what we like to hear.
07:28We've got a helicopter, only a set phone call away, and a few thousand dollars.
07:33Parodia territory, at last.
07:35The Parodia is one of the quintessential shape-shifting species.
07:42When the male displays, he tucks his wings away and pops out specialized breast feathers.
07:49They're kind of funny and comical to watch.
07:51You can't help but to think of them as like a little person in the forest wearing a skirt,
07:55dancing around.
07:58There are five species of Parodia, and Tim and Ed have photographed them all.
08:03But this time, they want to change it up.
08:06They're trying to film a male Parodia from above, from the perspective of the females,
08:12who are the arbiters of what makes a good display.
08:17Ed thinks the aerial view will be very different from anything they've ever seen.
08:22The way the females look at them is from above looking down.
08:25So the females see this really distinct circular shape that's made by the skirt.
08:32All right, this is the camp.
08:34They've already got the old tarp up.
08:39Ed's command of the local language, Pidja, comes in handy.
08:42Cut them new play DIY now, work them new play frame.
08:46As their porters make camp, they strike out to scout display sites.
08:52There was a couple of old ones right over here in this thicket.
08:57That's what I first noticed.
08:59I think it's here.
09:01There's like a sinkhole.
09:03And this one's a fresh one, because look, it's got fresh bird poop.
09:06Or as they say in Pidgin, peck-peck.
09:11This bear patch is the male's display territory.
09:14It's called a court.
09:16Parodia are neat freaks, keeping their courts spotless and clear.
09:21So Ed sets up a tiny camera, then scatters some leaves.
09:27It's his sneaky way of telling if the males are using this site.
09:31It really drives them crazy to have those leaves down there.
09:34They're very fastidious.
09:35So when he comes by here and sees those, he won't be able to help himself.
09:38He'll come right down and toss them all off the court.
09:41Oh, hell.
09:42He always gets like the looking down view from up here.
09:45If the site proves to be active, it's perfect for the overhead shot.
09:49This distance is really safe for Parodias.
09:52I mean, I think that's the wide enough view right there if we just clean out that vine.
09:54Yeah.
09:55This one's totally doable.
09:57Capturing the female perspective on film would be a scientific breakthrough.
10:01And a dream come true for Ed.
10:04We succeed in especially getting the moment of transformation.
10:08That's going to be the holy grail.
10:12They check the spy camera, and sure enough, it doesn't take long for the Parodia to arrive.
10:18That's the leaf we put down.
10:20That's it.
10:21Yeah.
10:22He's coming like a GoPro.
10:23Right, I'm going to do the GoPro.
10:25He's so intent on cleaning up, he doesn't even notice the camera.
10:29No way.
10:32Oh, we actually got an awesome GoPro shot of a Parodia.
10:36That's hilarious.
10:38I'm going to give it a leave that word.
10:39You totally didn't care at all.
10:41Whoa, this guy is big.
10:42That tail is long.
10:43That tail is long.
10:44It's like a huge bird.
10:44I forget how much bigger this Parodia is than some of the others.
10:52Tim plans to position three synchronized cameras around the display area.
10:56Ed will control two from his laptop, while Tim shoots the third from a hidden vantage point.
11:04I just need to get a bunch of bush rope, start lashing together a ladder.
11:09Thankfully, the forest itself is as good as a hardware store.
11:26Ed has been studying Parodia displays for years.
11:30Their dances are the most complex of any bird of paradise.
11:34And he knows every move they make.
11:38In pretty much an instant, he'll do a bow.
11:41And he basically then fluffs out those long feathers of the breast and flanks.
11:46And that's when he forms them around his body.
11:49They go back behind his back and cover his wings.
11:51And when he comes up, and he's taking these three long head wires from each side,
11:56and as he starts walking forward with his skirt out,
11:59he's shaking them back and forth, waving them in front of his head.
12:02And then he begins waggling his neck and head back and forth like that.
12:06None of it really makes sense,
12:07unless we can interpret it from the perspective that the females are seeing it.
12:13For birds of paradise, the females are the evolutionary decision makers.
12:37It's a complicated rig.
12:39Perfect Ethernet hiding material.
12:42Custom-built cables.
12:46Specialized software and electronics.
12:49All right, I'm going back to have the computer.
12:50And none of it very jungle-friendly.
12:55Shit!
12:57Slippery.
12:59Great.
13:06All right, so it's working.
13:08The numbers are on.
13:09And I think we're in business.
13:14Tim settles into his blind, hoping their camera-ready parodia will make another appearance.
13:31They seem to be everywhere, but on the court where we need them.
13:44Well, I'm still sitting here in my blind.
13:47I think I'm going to call it quits pretty soon.
13:53Hey, it's getting pretty dark over here.
13:55I think we're looking at that.
13:57Okay, let me pack this up.
14:00All right.
14:02Calling it quits.
14:08Well, too much good luck to get all that we're saying.
14:11It's not too much.
14:16Early the next morning, they're back at it.
14:21I had to stop by Starbucks on my way back to work.
14:40Miraculously, the parodia also shows up for the morning shift.
15:08Yeah, it's great.
15:09I'm going to find a review there.
15:10Yeah, great.
15:11All right.
15:12Yeah, I got one.
15:15The question is, were all three cameras rolling?
15:19All right, moment of truth here.
15:25Looking left, looking right.
15:27Bow.
15:28Oh, there he is.
15:28Yeah, his tail.
15:30Okay, he's coming out in the ballerina.
15:32Turns around.
15:33You know, his wires.
15:34Oh, and he goes under there.
15:39Wow, that flash is amazing.
15:40It is amazing.
15:42This is even bigger than Ed expected.
15:45Wow.
15:46You know what?
15:46You can even see the flash.
15:47So he's got this other ornament on the back of his head that you always never see.
15:50And it flashes right on the opposite side.
15:52Oh, look.
15:52Yes, he looks so different.
15:53That's nice.
15:54He knew the view from up top would be different.
15:57But these iridescent flashes are a shock.
16:02It's like the male is sending out secret love messages that only the female above him can see.
16:08Usually, we always filmed it from the blind on the ground.
16:11So that flashing really is designed to face upward to flash to the females.
16:15So now that we're really looking down all the time, we're just really seeing that flash, flash.
16:20You know, that's just really cool to see it from different angles.
16:24With all three cameras synced up, they can see the top-down shot in context.
16:48It's the unknown that makes birds of paradise so fascinating.
16:54Tim and Ed were the first to discover that one species,
16:57the ARFAC Astrapia performs its displays upside down.
17:02That's as close as you get to aha moments in science anymore.
17:06And the ARFAC isn't the only one to turn the mating dance on its head.
17:12The blue bird of paradise.
17:15The red bird of paradise.
17:19And the emperor.
17:21This footage of the emperor display is the first ever recorded.
17:25But the birds rarely make it easy.
17:29Ed once spent 80 hours waiting for just 90 seconds of magnificent rifle bird display.
17:38Tim has climbed nearly 150 trees over the years.
17:41His highest perch was 50 meters in the air.
17:45Getting to it was like climbing a 15-story building.
17:50Sometimes, he gets room service for lunch.
17:53Wow.
17:54We got the full Indonesian lunch here.
17:55We got rice.
17:56We got vegetables.
17:58We got noodles.
17:59Quite a lunch for up in a tree, huh?
18:03But the next bird on their list could be even more challenging.
18:07So, we good to go?
18:09Seems like it.
18:10Man, it's foreign, huh?
18:13To reach it, Tim and Ed are heading out to sea.
18:17They're now on the trail of the rare goldies bird of paradise.
18:21Goldies have an incredibly limited range.
18:25They only exist on two tiny islands off the eastern coast of New Guinea.
18:29The genus Paradisia, these are the ones that are on the flag and have the most sought-after plumes for
18:36human interests, especially New Guinea culture.
18:40The plume trade impacted many bird of paradise species at the turn of the century.
18:44But the striking feathers of the genus Paradisia were particularly prized.
18:49Their numbers have rebounded since then, but they're still hard to find.
18:55All right.
18:56Seems like I can get on this sucker without falling in.
19:00It's going to be wet.
19:03It's like a wet start to an expedition that we've ever had.
19:10Goldie's bird of paradise display in the canopy.
19:13Tim will have to build himself a camouflage blind high in a tree.
19:18He's used the technique before and filmed himself doing it.
19:22This blob of camouflage cloth here is the blind that I have set up in the top of the tree
19:30at the Lesser Bird of Paradise display site.
19:32The bird's display is just over there on that other tree.
19:43Oh, I'm back in my blind.
19:45I'm at the Lesser Bird of Paradise tree.
19:47This is my seventh morning up here.
19:50Can I give it one more try?
19:54Persistence eventually paid off.
19:57The bird starts to arrive.
20:01Is that a male here?
20:22Tim and Ed also had success in the canopy with the Greater Bird of Paradise using a multi-camera rig.
20:47Tim monitored the leaf cam with his laptop while he shot with a second camera from the blind.
21:04First, the males show up and ruffle their plumes to attract the females.
21:09Once the ladies get there, the males get really excited.
21:17It's actually working.
21:19It's kind of unbelievable.
21:25This is called the flower pose.
21:27If the female likes what she sees, she'll stick around for some feather tickling and eventually mating.
21:35The innovative leaf cam captures a never-before-seen perspective of the mating ritual.
21:46This time, they're hoping to combine all of their successful tactics.
21:51They need to get their cameras up in the canopy to capture the experience of a female Goldie's.
21:58But first, they have to reach them.
22:03They're heading into some dark weather over there.
22:07As we came out of the mouth of the bay, it just kept getting choppier and choppier.
22:11So now we were in pretty much serious downpour rain as well as rough seas.
22:16This passage to the Goldie's home, Ferguson Island, is notoriously deadly.
22:24They've got to cross the open street, motor between the islands and around the tip of Ferguson.
22:29Then hike inland to a tiny village that will be their home base.
22:35Scouting reports from the island have confirmed that the birds are there.
22:54So we're not going to have to spend any time when we first get there searching for the birds and
22:58trying to find a display tree.
23:02It's legendarily inconvenient to work in New Guinea.
23:06But the same impenetrable jungles, far-flung islands, and extreme elevations that make passage nearly impossible
23:15are also what has given rise to these otherworldly creatures.
23:22Little Jurassic parks, pocket environments cut off from each other, and the outside
23:30create fertile ground for small populations of birds to evolve extraordinary characteristics.
23:42Hey, we made it.
23:47They've survived the passage, but there's still a rough road ahead.
23:53Their guide, local conservationist David Mitchell, returns from scouting the inland trail with bad news.
24:01Most of the water is up to about here on, what's the walking track.
24:05So what does that mean about the forest around where the birds of paradise are?
24:09Is it going to be flooded there?
24:10Flooded.
24:11Yeah, it's flooded.
24:12But given two days, it might go down.
24:17Great.
24:20We have to, like, camp here on the beach or something.
24:23Stay here.
24:24What do we do?
24:24Just wait for it to go down?
24:27Well, it's not really practical to carry all of our gear to the flooded village through that deep water.
24:33I mean, that's not going to work either.
24:34Hey, come and have a look.
24:35Yeah.
24:36Have a look.
24:39I don't believe this.
24:40Yeah.
24:41The rain finally stops, but now we can't go anywhere because of the flood.
24:48Oh, gosh.
24:56With no time to waste and no way to work without their gear, Tim and Ed set off in search
25:01of another route.
25:05Whoa.
25:06Getting deeper again?
25:08Yeah.
25:12The local villagers eagerly pitch in, cutting a new path through the jungle.
25:18It's like a universal in New Guinea.
25:20Everywhere you go, it's always the kids and girls carrying your stuff.
25:24You don't look so tough next to a, you know, 12-year-old girl carrying your big bag for you.
25:33No, it needs a good downpour.
25:39At long last, they reach the village.
25:45The Goldies live in the forest nearby.
25:48Hello.
25:50Hello.
25:50How are you?
25:55The patch of forest where the birds are is very close.
25:59They're anxious to see the tree where the Goldies is this way.
26:03Hey, slippery mud right there.
26:08That's the Goldies.
26:09Wah, wah, wah.
26:10Isn't it awesome?
26:14This could be a quick trip to foot rot.
26:16In the flooded forest, all sorts of creatures are scrambling to stay dry.
26:23Some, like this spiny orb weaver, are as colorful as a bird of paradise.
26:34I'm trying to remember, where is the tree that they displayed in?
26:39I don't think they use it anymore.
26:44Why?
26:45Because, uh, some trees close by, they fell down.
26:49But I...
26:52They haven't found where they've gone to now.
26:54So where are they now?
26:55I mean, we hear one there, we hear one there, but do you...
26:57They have spread out there.
27:00I think they just knew one where they used to play.
27:05So we have to find their new place.
27:07Okay.
27:09Okay.
27:10Turns out their advanced intel wasn't as accurate as they'd hoped.
27:13So our supposed scouting effort was clearly a big failure.
27:16As if the rain and the seas and the floods weren't enough.
27:22Had we known, I think it would have changed the equation quite a bit.
27:30Now they'll have to stake out this part of the forest
27:33to find the tree where the Goldies display.
27:39That sounds more like what they do before they start displaying.
27:41You know, when they do that chatter?
27:43Mm-hmm.
27:44That's all over where the world is playing.
27:45And then they would go...
27:47And they would jump right into that.
27:50Oh, that sounds a little good.
27:52That's a little bit of duetting.
27:56That was a drunk bird of paradise.
27:59Doing a polka.
28:03The males sing a duet to draw in the females.
28:06The birds are around, but not settled in any specific tree.
28:12It's all just about listening to them,
28:14hearing the sounds that they only make when they're displaying,
28:17which are very distinctive.
28:19And then narrowing on that site.
28:21So...
28:22Unfortunately, the right spot for a female
28:24is not always right for the cameraman.
28:27Forest is dense, and sometimes there's no good views,
28:31so that's the tricky part.
28:41The next morning, they manage to find an active tree.
28:46You see how the tree goes up and it's got this fork in it?
28:49It's kind of like an open gap of a bunch of little jungle gym-like sticks.
28:53That's where the birds are.
28:56There's no place up there to build a blind.
28:59So they have to adjust their plan.
29:02The main approach is going to be to try to use these remote-controlled cameras.
29:07So I'm going to climb up in the tree,
29:08I'm going to rig up this camera,
29:10hidden with also a layer of leaves over this,
29:12and try to hide it in the next tree closest to the display site.
29:17And then we'll be able to run these cables down to the ground
29:18and shoot with the remote-control setup from our laptops.
29:24And we think it's going to be a natural history filmmaking first
29:27to film Birds of Paradise like this up in the canopy.
29:31They just need to turn this pile of gear into a working camera system.
29:35This goes to that.
29:37This is going to be your number two laptop connection.
29:44Hey, Tim, there's one of those big millipedes going right by you.
29:47Oh, yeah, yeah.
29:48Though not a biter,
29:50the millipede can secrete a caustic acid
29:52that causes a painful burn.
29:56I'm going to wait so that if he decides to spray his chemicals,
29:59he'll hit my clothes instead of my leg.
30:04All right, I'm going to get rid of this dude.
30:08I think we're about ready for this test.
30:11All right, I am seeing two cameras.
30:14Now we need a dancing bird.
30:15Here we go.
30:16I'm going to do my best imitation of a Goldie's bird of paradise.
30:23All right, you working?
30:25Cut.
30:26Okay.
30:28There he comes.
30:30All right, look at that guy.
30:33I'm pretty sure he'll be successful.
30:35All right, it worked.
30:37Should have had my red shirt on.
30:42All right, now we've got to rig it up in a tree.
30:46The Goldie's display site is 30 meters up.
30:51All right.
30:52Oh, you had it, but I think you hit a leaf.
31:00Yeah, I hit a branch.
31:01It went right over the right spot,
31:02but then it bounced back off of a leaf or a branch.
31:06Tim, Moses was saying that's a softwood,
31:09so it's not very strong and the branch is easy to break.
31:12Okay.
31:14So, but if I go over one of the biggest branches,
31:16it should be all right, yeah?
31:17What do you think, Moses?
31:18Do you think Tim's too heavy or?
31:20That's right.
31:22You don't think it'll support him, eh?
31:24Yeah.
31:25He said this is a softwood,
31:26so he's just having reservations
31:28when he saw you putting an arrow up in it.
31:30How soft is softwood?
31:32Well, I think I'll pull a rope up
31:34and see how strong it is.
31:36So it's good to be careful.
31:37We could put some double weight on the rope
31:39and just see how much it bends and...
31:41See if the whole thing breaks off.
31:43All right, here goes.
31:55All right, got it in the right spot.
32:00The rope is secure.
32:02It's time to see if it will hold Tim's weight.
32:05Okay.
32:08Okay.
32:09Okay.
32:38All right, let's go.
32:54All right, I'm at the level now.
32:55Yeah?
32:57It is pretty light wood.
32:58Is it going to be all right?
33:01As long as I stay in the middle.
33:04I put a loop in the rope and clipped it in
33:06so if the whole top of the tree where I'm at
33:07actually cracks and bends over,
33:09my rope actually will still keep me from hitting the ground.
33:12It still would be a nasty fall,
33:14but it would be better than hitting the ground.
33:18With the nearest hospital two days' journey away,
33:21safety is paramount.
33:23How's the view of the branch?
33:24Can you see it pretty easily?
33:26We've got a perfectly clear view,
33:27and it's two meters away.
33:29Two.
33:31That's going to be awesome.
33:33Oh, my feet.
33:35This is not going to be comfortable up here.
33:41As Tim rushes to get the cameras in place,
33:44the Goldies start revving up for a display.
33:55It's a call to action.
33:57It means it's time to get your groove on.
34:01It's like the guy standing in front of the mirror going...
34:08For the males of most species of birds of paradise,
34:12promiscuity is a full-time job.
34:14They flirt and flirt to get the females' attention.
34:18The males would mate repeatedly with the same females
34:22throughout the course of the display session.
34:24They'd mate with multiple females.
34:26They'd mate with the same females repeatedly
34:28over multiple days or weeks.
34:29So, yeah, they're not very discriminating
34:32about who and how many.
34:34It's pretty much up to the female.
34:36Which is why it's critical to see what the females see,
34:40how they decide who's worthy.
34:45All right, I'm up here in the canopy
34:47by the Goldies bird-of-paradise tree,
34:50and here are my two remote control cameras,
34:53number one and number two.
34:58It's taken three hours for Tim
35:00to perfectly position the cameras.
35:02My legs are starting to get gripped up
35:05from just holding these weird positions for too long.
35:07I need a break.
35:09Unable to rest on any of the fragile branches,
35:12Tim has got to get down before his legs give out.
35:18Kind of a narrow spot to get through here.
35:46Oh, man.
35:49It's really tiring up there.
35:58The birds are calling just behind us,
36:02just above, back over here,
36:03so they're only about 25 meters away.
36:08But maybe they're a little spooked
36:10by my cameras up there.
36:12We're not sure.
36:13The digital trap is laid,
36:15but no one's biting.
36:16Come on in, boy.
36:19The water's warm.
36:23Kind of closer.
36:24They're up higher.
36:26We had a stuffed female bird-of-paradise.
36:29Stuck her up there.
36:31They'd be down there in a second.
36:34Unintentionally,
36:35Ed tries to call them in himself.
36:40That's the most ridiculous water bottle.
36:43I don't know what to do about it.
36:50There's a lot of waiting in this business.
36:58Oh, man.
36:59They're definitely there when they come around,
37:01but they're just not in the right tree.
37:07Come on, guys.
37:08Come on.
37:11But today is not going to be the day.
37:15Wow, it's starting to rain.
37:18Shutting down.
37:20I believe they're coming so close.
37:22Now when it's getting dark,
37:23I have to go up and get the cameras down
37:25because it's also starting to rain.
37:27And now they're, like, right here.
37:30They can't film at night,
37:31and the cameras aren't waterproof.
37:35So day one on Ferguson is a bust.
37:38Let's just hope we get the payoff moment
37:41to go with all the misery and suffering.
37:50Next morning, they're back before dawn.
37:56All right.
37:57We're going to try to be really quiet.
37:59We think the birds are sleeping very close to the tree here.
38:01So we're just going to try to sneak up there,
38:03set up the cameras,
38:04get back down as fast as I can.
38:07As if the soft wood isn't dangerous enough,
38:10Tim's climbing in total darkness,
38:13and the tree is soaked and slippery.
38:17All right.
38:18So I'm going to do a quick cable check here.
38:20Make sure the rats didn't chew the cable overnight,
38:22which would be a big problem.
38:24Rosens love this rubbery wire.
38:27Tree rats.
38:29The bane of every ornithologist.
38:38All right.
38:39Life's 28.
38:40All right, so I'm running the schedule.
38:41I made it back down before 5.30.
38:42Good job.
38:44Yeah.
38:45Well, I'm just going to sit tight
38:46and wait for like an hour
38:47for it to get light.
39:05They haven't come to the display site yet.
39:07You know, it was raining all night
39:08and it's been a really wet and drippy morning.
39:12So we hope that that's the reason
39:14that they're not being active
39:15and displaying this morning.
39:16But we don't know.
39:17It's just kind of a waiting game.
39:23It's getting temptingly close now,
39:25but I just don't think they're buying it.
39:30The Goldies seem to be avoiding the rig tree.
39:35You know, it's been like a few good mornings now
39:37and they haven't come,
39:38so I'm pretty sure that having those cameras up there
39:43close to the display site is putting them off a bit.
39:45So we're going to have to try something different.
39:50Frustrated by the Goldies' lack of cooperation,
39:52Tim and Ed head off in search of a different bird
39:55they've been hearing.
40:01Manicode's calling nearby, so I'll try to get that on video.
40:08Hey, which one do you want to chase?
40:10There's one over here now, too.
40:11Let's go back towards the big fig tree.
40:17Curl-crested manicodes have a spectacular call.
40:23Sounds like a UFO landing.
40:27Ah, they're right here.
40:29But we're on the wrong side of the sun.
40:34The manicode is a throwback species.
40:36It looks more similar to the ancient crow-like ancestor
40:40of all birds of paradise
40:41than it does to its flamboyant modern-day cousins.
40:46Manicodes are quaintly monogamous.
40:48They don't need fancy feathers
40:50to convince a female to mate with them,
40:51like the males of other species.
40:54Somewhere along the way,
40:55they made the shift from being monogamous
40:57to polygynous,
40:58and then things just went crazy
41:00with sexual selection.
41:02Unlike natural selection,
41:04which weeds out the weak,
41:06sexual selection ensures the survival
41:09of the male traits the female
41:10finds most attractive.
41:12When a female bird of paradise
41:14selects a male to mate with,
41:16she is endorsing his assets,
41:18making sure those genes will live on.
41:22The more extreme your preference is
41:24for certain kinds of behaviors or ornaments,
41:26the more extreme those traits are
41:28in the offspring of the males that have them.
41:30So because of that,
41:31the female's behavior of spending time
41:33watching males and mating
41:34is sort of equally as obnoxious
41:37and extreme and bizarre
41:38as what the males are doing themselves.
41:41Plentiful food and few predators
41:43free up male birds of paradise
41:45to devote most of their energy to mating.
41:49The choosy females only mate
41:51with the sexiest males.
41:54But every encounter starts with an audition.
41:58They've created their destiny
42:00of spending an inordinate number of hours
42:03watching the very males
42:04that their ancestors have created
42:06through sexual selection.
42:07The manicodes never made the leap to polygamy,
42:10but that doesn't mean they're without sex appeal.
42:17For them, it's an aural thing.
42:22Ed records a male's call
42:24and plays it back
42:25to fool a bird into revealing its position.
42:28There they are.
42:29There they are.
42:29Where did I go?
42:29Right there.
42:30Is that him right there?
42:32He's low in there somewhere.
42:35That's it.
42:36That's it.
42:37Just by the tree.
42:42Right in the sunlight.
42:45I can't really see his throat coming out.
42:48There's a bird that has a really crazy,
42:50like, windy trachea on its throat there
42:52that it's using to make that crazy call.
43:00This is an unexpected but important catch.
43:03This is a cool behavior.
43:04Nobody's documented the postures
43:06that these guys do while they're calling.
43:09Better than what we do with the goldies this morning.
43:17Taking the manicodes as a good sign,
43:19Tim and Ed head back to the goldies.
43:22Oh, yeah, there's a bird.
43:26They've spotted two males
43:27displaying on a branch
43:29about 50 meters from the rigged tree.
43:43This is what they've been waiting for.
43:47Oh, my God.
43:48There's a world
43:49that now that they glance
43:50at this far away
43:50and now it feels like
43:51you're out there with themselves.
43:53Oh, my God.
43:54The females have box seats
43:57for the performance.
43:59Okay, you want to keep on getting back.
44:01Now you're getting closer and closer.
44:07There he goes.
44:09Now he made it.
44:11So at least one meeting.
44:28An eternity of foreplay leads up
44:30to a hit-and-run transfer of sperm.
44:58Now if they can just get a display
45:00with their leaf cam.
45:06Coffee's on.
45:07It's pretty good.
45:08We got our
45:09pop of the guinea coffee
45:11with a bird of paradise
45:12on the front there.
45:14Can't go without my little broken heart mug.
45:24Before Tim climbs up
45:26to rig the remote camera,
45:28he attempts an aerial extraction.
45:32Oh, no.
45:33That was a bad one.
45:35Oh!
45:39Yes.
45:41I think so, too.
45:46I think it's one of those
45:47softwood trees.
45:49Well, the offending branch
45:50is no more.
45:53All right.
45:54I got to go up.
46:03Here is a view
46:04of the canopy camera.
46:06It's going to be looking out
46:07on that tree over there,
46:08and hopefully the birds will come,
46:10do a little displaying,
46:11and we'll get the canopy perspective.
46:16Wow, this is working great.
46:18Now the birds will just come.
46:23All right.
46:24I'm going to get my big one set up.
46:27I've got a small tree in my way.
46:31We're starting to get excited.
46:36He's there.
46:39Where are you rolling in?
46:42Boy, they're coming in fast.
46:44There he is.
46:44There he is.
46:48Awesome.
46:49Two males, two females.
46:52Hey, first leave camp,
46:54but I can call these.
46:55All right.
46:55We'll take him.
46:56We'll take him.
46:59There he goes.
47:06Before they leave the island,
47:08Tim reveals their groundbreaking shots
47:10for the first time.
47:12This is a rapid-fire sequence.
47:16The unique leaf cam perspective
47:18exposes previously unknown behavior.
47:21The females seem to be mesmerized
47:24by the males' red feathers.
47:26And during every display,
47:28the males brush their tail wires
47:30and plumes against the female's breast.
47:34Well, cheers.
47:35Cheers to a good day.
47:38Tim and Ed have accomplished many firsts.
47:41And this last expedition is no exception.
47:44The first documented curl-crested manico display.
47:48The first leaf cam footage of Goldie's.
47:52The first Parodia female perspective shot.
47:55And, over nearly a decade,
47:57the first photographs of every species
48:00of bird of paradise.
48:04It's both sort of the most exciting project
48:06I've ever worked on,
48:07and it's also the most frustrating project
48:08I've ever worked on.
48:09It's one thing to see a bird of paradise
48:11and think, oh, it's beautiful plumes
48:13and it's a neat bird,
48:14but it's mind-blowing
48:15when you really see it in context
48:16of what they're doing
48:17and how it evolved.
48:38and how it evolved.
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