Winged Seduction: Birds of Paradise

Seduced and disappointed
Having been a bird of paradise (BOP) enthusiast since the age of 10 and having visited Papua New Guinea at the age of 15 to see these birds, 17 years later I thought with the release of "Winged Seduction" I was going to see the DVD I never thought anyone would make: a documentary showing all the species of BOP on film, in action! But you know what they say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Others' reviews are spot on; this documentary was given a sexy title to lure you in but focuses on the efforts of two men, Tim Laman and Ed Scholes, not the unique behaviors and diversity of this family (though three species are highlighted). To those interested, here are some details and other keys points of concern I had with this documentary:

-There are 5 manucode species, only 1 is shown (curl-crested manucode)
-There are 7 species in the Paradisaea genus, but only the greater and Goldie's BOP's were highlighted, with others shown either briefly or...

Very disappointed (DVD, not book)
First of all, since the reviews for the book and the DVD seem to be mixed together, I just want to make it clear that this review is for the DVD, and not the book, which I haven't seen yet.

I was extremely excited to see this DVD, having followed some of the "behind the scenes" from the Cornell website building up for this release. But I was equally disappointed when I got my DVD today. Birds of Paradise are some of the most impressive and amazing birds alive, but they are not the star of this video - the researchers are. The vast majority of footage time shows them moving around and facing field hardship, interspersed by short clips of the actual birds.

Also, don't be fooled by the "Includes all 39 species!" claims on the product description (and even on a DVD box sticker). The researchers probably have it, but it's not in the DVD. The DVD only shows videos of 2 species doing their displays (excluding the several 3-5 second clips thrown here and there with...

the DVD is a huge disappointment
I eagerly awaited the debut of Winged Seduction: Birds of Paradise. With its promise to document all 39 species, it was certain to be a remarkable documentary, and I couldn't wait to add it to my collection. Fortunately, I actually watched the program on television before purchasing the DVD, and I am so glad I did. It came right off my Christmas wish list.

Suffice it to say, I was bitterly disappointed by this documentary. It felt rather as if a couple of junior high school students had been transported to New Guinea and given high-tech equipment with which to try and record the activities of some of the most beautiful birds on earth. The entire program seemed to be much more about the quest of the men than it was about the birds themselves. I was left wondering why the National Geographic would be associated with such a poorly-executed project. Some of the images were lovely, but there was just...

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