Tari Gap Birds-of-Paradise

High in the central highlands of Papua New Guinea, the cloud forest around the Tari Gap holds one of the densest concentrations of birds-of-paradise on Earth — up to 13 species in a single mountain pocket near the Tari Valley.

Here, at around 2,000 meters, the misty moss forest stages courtship displays that pushed evolution to its strangest extremes: the male King of Saxony bird-of-paradise raising two ridiculously long, enamel-blue brow plumes nearly half a meter long and waving them like flags from a hidden perch; the Blue Bird-of-Paradise hanging upside down in a cascade of shimmering blue; the Superb Bird-of-Paradise snapping open a black cape and an electric-blue breast shield into a hypnotic dancing oval; sicklebills, astrapias, and parotias each with their own ritual.

Birders come for the dawn chorus and the display perches, often based at the long-running Ambua Lodge on the forest edge, while the local Huli Wigmen weave the birds' colors and dances into their own famous ceremonial culture.

Displays happen through the year, with activity easiest to find in the drier, clearer months.

Where to see it

A taste of where to see it. The full map, exact coordinates and the best timing for each spot live in the app.