The Extravagant Displays of Birds-of-Paradise
In The Extravagant Displays of Birds-of-Paradise, narrator Sir David Attenborough showcases a few of the nearly 40 different kinds of birds-of-paradise on the island of New Guinea. Different birds-of-paradise live in different parts of New Guinea to avoid competing with one another. Male birds-of-paradise try to be extravagant to attract females. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Sir David Attenborough takes you inside the most remote, extreme, and jaw-dropping corners of the planet — filmed over four years across 64 countries. Learn more.
Lesson Express
Q: How do the birds avoid competing with each other?
A: The birds spread out and live in different areas of the jungle.
Q: What has played a part in the evolution of the birds-of-paradise?
A: The pickiness of the female birds has played a role in the evolution of the birds since the more elaborate birds win the females.
Q: Which type of birds favor a clearing on the forest floor?
A: The plumed birds-of-paradise prefers the forest floor.
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In The Tropics Cause Abundant Life and Broken Hearts, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how constant direct sunlight allows plant and animal life to flourish. A male bird of paradise takes elaborate steps to attract a mate but is ultimately rejected. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Colugo Glides From Tree to Tree, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores how colugos survive on the island of Borneo by traveling great distances and gliding through the sky to find food. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Grunting With Gorillas, host Andy Day is in the mountains when he finds a family of gorillas. He grunts to let them know he’s approaching. Then he observes the gorillas taking care of each other. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Andy's Wild Adventures, in which Andy Day embarks on wild adventures with his puppet friend, Kip the cat.
A troop of 150 chimpanzees. That's not a typo — it's the largest chimp community ever recorded in Africa, and they all live in one stretch of forest in Uganda. Sir David Attenborough takes you inside their world in this clip from BBC's Planet Earth, and it's not exactly peaceful. Chimps are unusual among jungle animals — they move just as easily through the treetops as they do on the ground, which comes in handy when your diet depends on finding enough fig trees to feed 150 mouths. But a community this size needs serious territory to sustain it, and that means defending it.
Watch as the troop uses coordinated calls to launch a raid into a rival group's land. Once they cross into enemy territory, everything changes: the calls stop, the pace slows, and every chimp is on high alert, listening for signs of who — and how many — they're up against.
It's a side of chimpanzees you don't usually see: strategic, tense, and surprisingly military in style. Great conversation starter for anything on animal behavior, group dynamics, or how intelligence shows up in unexpected ways.