page_title: Satinbird
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Satinbird / Description
caption_attribution_description: Cnemophilus macgregorii macgregorii De Vis, 1890
context_page_description: The satinbirds or cnemophilines, are a family, Cnemophilidae of passerine birds which consists of four species found in the mountain forests of New Guinea. They were originally thought to be part of the birds-of-paradise family Paradisaeidae until genetic research suggested that the birds are not closely related to birds-of-paradise at all and are perhaps closer to berry peckers and longbills. The current evidence suggests that their closest relatives may be the cuckoo-shrikes.
context_section_description: The satinbirds are all very beautifully colored in their own right. The males of the red satinbird are a rich reddish orange to a flame red on their upperparts, sporting dark blackish to black underparts and also have light, purplish erectile saggital crest that lies on the crown and extends from the forehead to nearly the back of the head. Females of this species are an olive brown with paler underparts. Male yellow satinbirds have brilliant, silky, flame-yellow plumage above, with a black throat, black chin, black belly and black rump, and glistening golden crest plumes, while females are brownish to olive above with pale light yellow underparts. 
  The other two species, Loria's and yellow-breasted satinbirds are much more different from the aforementioned species. Loria's satinbid male is mostly black with shiny purple or metallic sheens; they have iridescent light blue secondary wing feathers, iridescent blue tail feathers, and an iridescent greenish-aqua patch of feathers leading from the base of the bill to right above the eyes. Females, like the others mentioned above, are olive greenish with lighter underparts. Male yellow-breasted satinbirds have reddish-olive upperparts, except for the upper rump, which is a yellow gold. The underparts are golden yellow from the chin and cheeks to the breast, then fades to a paler yellow wash past the breast. Unique for the satinbirds, the males also have bulbous wattles, or lobes, on the top of the bill that are a pale sky blue in color. The female is brownish rufous above and cream below with brownish streaks from the chin to the breast.
  Satinbirds have weak, non-manipulative feet, wide gapes (at one time they were given the name "wide-gaped bird-of-paradise"), as well as an unossified nasal region. Their bodies are compact with rounded wings.
caption: Male yellow satinbird - note its silky bright golden upperparts.
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