Watch a preview of Birds of the Gods:
On the island of New Guinea in the South Pacific lives the most striking and diverse group of birds on the planet. Birds of paradise defy imagination. Covered in spectacular plumage, each species within the Paradisaeidae family is distinct. Some birds are patterned with feathers of bright yellow and green, some have flashy iridescent plumes that catch the light, while others have tails that extend three times the length of their body. Bizarre courtship displays by the male birds show off their exquisite assets, as they dance, puff out, vibrate, hang upside down, stretch their wings, and even contort their bodies into completely different shapes in order to impress a nearby female.
The people of New Guinea see the souls of their ancestors in these creatures. The birds inform tribal ceremonies and their plumes are used as religious relics, fashion accessories, and currency. The first Europeans to see bird specimens in the sixteenth-century were sure they had stumbled upon a family of birds direct from the Garden of Eden. Nineteenth-century naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace believed the birds “must be ranked as one of the most beautiful and most wonderful of living things.”
NATURE follows local biologists and conservationists, Miriam Supuma and Paul Igag, into the dense, mosquito-ridden forests in their quest to document the mating behaviors of several exceptional and elusive birds of paradise. Their work gives us new insights into the habits and population health of the different species. Working with local tribes, they research which birds of paradise are most in need of protection, and the team is able to work toward curbing the hunting practices that put these delicate birds at risk. Don’t miss the strange, beautiful antics of a family of birds so remarkable, they truly do seem to be visitors from paradise.
Rest In Peace Paul Igag. You and your work will forever be missed.
No, the complaints about the music are spot on. What is the point of pointing out the unique sound being made by these birds if it is so completely dominated by the music? (I’d be surprised if David Attenborough was very pleased with the result.)
Note to the producers – how about making the music optional on the DVD release? (It’s not bad music – it just shouldn’t have been so pervasive.)
Wonderful show! The music could have been lower volume, I agree. Otherwise very well done. Thank you PBS.
What a shame that Paul Igag died at the young age of 46. It is a reminder that everyone should “know their numbers” – that is, know your lipid profile results (cholesterol, HDL, etc.) and even if the results are borderline, do something about it. Your good health is in your hands.
I just finished watching this episode of Nature broadcast on Vermont Public Television. So vividly awe inpiring and informative. Praise for the work of Miriam Supuma and Paul Igog. The hours sitting and waiting with the intent to view such natural wonders to bring the film to the world and to further their education in the field. I was saddened to see that Paul has passed onto the spirit world yet his work lives on. Thank you for this wonderful episode.
Music way too loud, couldn’t hear the birds. Mark, I can hear music in an elevator, the birds are the subject here. Excellent presentation….just beautiful. Sad for Paul’s passing.
THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTY FULL THING I HAVE EVER SEEN.WE portray these costumes in my COUNTRY TRINIDAD&TOBAGO.FOR CARNIVAL.We got our customs from the national geographic books.I could not get enough of this beauty full display.I thank you for the education. GOD BLESS.
I love PBS, but often get sucked into network shows. Tonight I’m so glad I was grabbed by this show on the Bird of Paradise. They are awesome, gorgeous birds!! The show was fascinating! Nearly a perfect show, with the exception of the already mentioned volume problem. Overall, GREAT JOB PBS!!
I’m sorry to see that Paul Igag died at such a young age!
How ironic. I wanted to watch the video but it is not available in my region… Papua New Guinea! By the way, the bird of paradise is the national bird here and adorns the tail of each of the aircraft in my companies fleet, which is the national carrier, Air Niugini.
I saw this episode last night. It was fascinating. At the end there was mention on the screen that Paul Igag died in 2008 at age 44. What happened to him?
January 24/1 MMMS tells us that Paul died of a heart attack. Amazing photography of amazing birds! Makes our robins look kinda drab!! Heather, sweety, full frontal nudity is nothing to be frightened of – it’s all part of NATURE!
There was nudity?
I thought it was a wonderful presentation.
What happened to Paul Igag? I was saddened to see he had passed.
I was also wondering what the new conservation efforts looked like. I’m sorry that the program didn’t mention anything more about it besides saying that Miriam and Paul were embarking on new efforts to preserve these stunning birds for future generations to come.
Thank you, as usual, PBS for airing such worthy programming! NATURE is one of my favourite series on television!
I was watching the show last night while my husband was watching football in the next room. When the birds were doing their magnificent transformation and awesome movements, I made him come watch. He actually changed the channel and watched the entire show (on his big screen , of course). I can’t say anything that hasn’t been already said. It was also interesting get a peek at the life style of the people, but saddened that the birds are being destroyed for their plumage. Congrats to the scientists, film crew and everyone else involved. It would have been nice if Mr. A would have let the sounds be heard instead of his voice.
The was the most fascinating show I have seen in a very long time. I can’t wait to watch it over and over. I guess I will have to buy it. Beautiful, Beautiful. What a mark of professionalism all around!
I was saddened to note that Paul Igag had passed. What a contribution he made and a legacy he left . . . to us all.
I saw part of this, found timing of next showing, and recorded on two different VCR’s. One ripped the tape when it rewound; that other is lost. When can I watch it again? Don’t think I have ever fallen so in love with a show.
Others might enjoy seeing “Beautiful Birds you Seldom See” on the internet. Just Google it. One shown is the Winson Bird of Paradise. Thank you PBS!!
We watched this episode. Wonderful birds and entertaining show. We learned a lot!
I am soooo disappointed to find that this episode is not on line. I am here now to watch it. I didn’t tape it because I was busy at the time and thought to myself ‘I can just watch it later on my terrific new laptop screen.’ Boy, is this a bummer. I have had no problem watching the very popular Fabric of the Universe from Nova so I am very shocked that this is different. Isn’t this the techno age? Usually the stations always want you to go to the web site and promt you during the program multiple times. PBS or who ever controls the ability to watch the episode on-line really needs to work out a deal to make this happen!!
Wonderful program, but count me among the people somewhat maddened by the intrusive and unceasing music. Somebody in the production of this program, who really ought to find another line of work, apparently thought that the birds and the sounds of nature themselves weren’t interesting enough to stand by themselves and had to add cutesy music to the birds’ dances. What he or she did was to destroy a chunk of the magic of those sequences. How odd in a program about man’s intrusions into the birds’ lives that one man/woman intruded so much on a film about the birds themselves.
If you don’t have faith in the inherent interest of the subject to present it without gimmicks, *don’t do the film.*
What an amazing video of Birds of Paradise! My family and I really enjoyed watching it. So much that we will purchase the video. I must say, these beautiful birds are truly from paradise, originating from the garden of Eden.
Great job Nature!
The dance music was perfect!