The Sanford's Bowerbird, Archboldia sanfordi is a black bowerbird

Bowerbird

Bowerbirds make up the bird family Ptilonorhynchidae. The family has 20 species in eight genera. These are medium-sized passerines, ranging from the Golden Bowerbird to the Great Bowerbird...

 with a reddish-brown iris

Iris (anatomy)

The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...

, grey feet and black bill

Beak

The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...

. The male has a golden crest extending from forehead, blackish wing and long tail. Both sexes are alike. The female is smaller with blue-grey feet and without crown feathering.

A polygamous species, the Sanford's Bowerbird inhabits to eastern highlands of Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

. The diet consists mainly of fruits. This bowerbird was discovered by Ernest Thomas Gilliard

Ernest Thomas Gilliard

Ernest Thomas Gilliard was an American ornithologist and museum curator who led or participated in several ornithological expeditions, especially to South America and New Guinea.Gilliard was born in York, Pennsylvania...

 in 1950 at Mount Hagen

Mount Hagen

Mount Hagen is third largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is the capital of the Western Highlands Province and is located in the large fertile Wahgi Valley in central mainland Papua New Guinea, at an elevation of ....

, Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

. It is named after Dr Leonard Cutler Sanford

Leonard Cutler Sanford

Leonard Cutler Sanford was an American surgeon and amateur ornithologist who served as a trustee of the American Museum of Natural History for nearly thirty years and who was instrumental in building up its bird collections....

, a trustee of the American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...

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Some authorities considered the Sanford's Bowerbird as a subspecies of the Archbold's Bowerbird

Archbold's Bowerbird

The Archbold's Bowerbird, Archboldia papuensis is a medium-sized, up to 37 cm long, dark grey songbird with brown iris, grey feet and black bill. The male has narrow black scalloping with some trace of golden yellow crown feathers and dark grey forked tail, that shorter than the wing. Both...

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