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Tim Laman

| Wildlife Photojournalist

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Birds of Paradise

“My goal is to inspire the world with Birds-of-Paradise to protect their forest habitat,
the still vast rain forests of New Guinea.”

–Tim Laman

WHY THE BIRDS-OF-PARADISE?

Birds-of-Paradise are arguably the world’s most spectacular birds, and examples of evolution by sexual selection creating a mind-boggling variety of forms.  As the most widely known species from New Guinea, they are the ambassadors for the conservation this third largest remaining tropical forest in the world. They are also relatively poorly known because they inhabit remote mountains and islands, and thus are ripe for further scientific research and documentation. For all these reasons, exploring the New Guinea region and documenting the Birds-of-Paradise has become one of my long-term projects.  There is still so much more to be done!  I work closely with my collaborator and co-founder of the Birds-of-Paradise Project, Edwin Scholes, at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Within the Lab of Ornithology, the Macaulay Library houses our globally unique collection of Bird-of-Paradise behavior videos.

This Youtube hit with over 20 million views shows you why Tim and collaborator Ed Scholes embarked on their project to document all the Birds-of-Paraadise.

BoP PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILMING:

Tim Laman is the go-to photographer for Birds-of-Paradise photography and filming. Since 2004, when he first started photography BoP’s for National Geographic, Tim has made over 30 expeditions to the New Guinea region, and continues to make trips every year.  He is the first and most certainly the only person to photograph all the species of this remarkable family for his 2012 book with Ed Scholes, and has produced multiple feature stories for National Geographic and numerous other magazines.  Tim Laman’s film credits for Birds-of-Paradise include:

  • Attenborough’s Life in Color – Humblebee Films for BBC1, 2020
  • David Attenborough:  A Life on Planet Earth – Silverback Films for NETFLIX, 2020
  • Dancing with the Birds – Silverback Films for NETFLIX, 2019
  • Our Planet: Jungles – Silverback Films for NETFLIX, 2019
  • Planet Earth II – BBC Natural History Unit for BBC1, 2017
  • Attenborough’s Paradise Birds – BBC Natural History Unit for BBC2, 2016
  • Winged Seduction – National Geographic Wild, 2012

With over 40 species to work with, there are endless stories to be told.  Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have a project that needs to feature Birds-of-Paradise

The Latest Bird-of-Paradise Film Trailer:

Trailer for Tim’s most recent film featuring Birds-of-Paradise

Birds-of-Paradise Book:

The book can be purchased through Tim’s Fine Art Store.

Birds-of-Paradise Prints:

Select Bird-of-Paradise images are now available as fine art prints. Please consider making a purchase of a unique art piece, and supporting our work at the same time.

Explore More:

If you are interested in learning a lot more about Birds-of-Paradise, check out www.birdsofparadiseproject.org, our extensive website at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Birds-of-Paradise Portfolio:

  • Male Blue Bird-of-Paradise (Paradisaea rudolphi) in a fruiting tree. Endangered Species (IUCN Red list: VU).
  • Lesser Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea minor) male displaying high in the rain forest canopy at his display site (lek).
  • Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise male performing courtship display. Endemic species just described in 2018. Arfak Mountains Nature Reserve. West Papua Province, Indonesia.
  • Red Bird-of-Paradise display at their tree-top lek. Waigeo Island Nature Reserve, Raja Ampat Island, West Papua, Indonesia.
  • Red Bird-of-Paradise display at their tree-top lek. Waigeo Island Nature Reserve, Raja Ampat Island, West Papua, Indonesia.
  • Red Bird-of-Paradise display at their tree-top lek. Waigeo Island Nature Reserve, Raja Ampat Island, West Papua, Indonesia.
  • Red Bird-of-Paradise Waigeo Island, West Papua Indonesia
  • Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise male calling in the forest. Endemic species just described in 2018. Arfak Mountains Nature Reserve. West Papua Province, Indonesia.
  • Red Bird-of-Paradise Waigeo Island, West Papua Indonesia
  • Magnificent Riflebird Bird-of-Paradise (Ptiloris magnificus) male displaying to female.
  • King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius) male. Detail of green central tail feathers, red body, and blue feet.
  • Greater Bird-of-Paradise (Paradisaea apoda). Adult male in static display. Badigaki Forest, Wokam Island in the Aru Islands, Indonesia.
  • Greater Bird-of-Paradise (Paradisaea apoda). Adult male performing upright wing pose. Badigaki Forest, Wokam Island in the Aru Islands, Indonesia.
  • Greater Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea apoda) Badigaki Forest, Wokam Island in the Aru Islands, Indonesia.
  • Wilson’s Bird of Paradise male at the display perch in the center of his carefully cleared court, presenting his colors to a female watching from above. (Cicinnnurus respublica)
  • Blue Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rudolphi) male performing a practice courtship display.
  • Western Parotia Bird of Paradise (Parotia sefilata). Adult male at its display court, performing ballerina dance.
  • Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise male performing courtship display. Endemic species just described in 2018. Arfak Mountains Nature Reserve. West Papua Province, Indonesia.
  • Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra) male performing practice display at tree-top lek. Endangered Species (IUCN Red List: NT).
  • Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra) male performing a practice display at his display site, known as a lek, high in the canopy of the forest on Batanta Island, Indonesia. Photographed from a canopy blind. IUCN Red List: NT
  • Adult male King of Saxony Bird of Paradise (Pteridophora alberti) performing a bouncing practice display that waves his head plumes.
  • Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise (Seleucidis melanoleuca) on his display pole.
  • Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise (Seleucidis melanoleuca) male displaying to a female at his display pole in the swamp rain forest at Nimbokrang, Papua, Indonesia, Island of New Guinea. He is using his unusual wire-like feathers to brush the female in the face.
  • Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise (Seleucidis melanoleuca) male at display perch in the swamp rain forest at Nimbokrang, Papua, Indonesia, Island of New Guinea.

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Latest from Instagram:

Photo by @TimLaman. A preening Emperor Penguin. Photo by @TimLaman.  A preening Emperor Penguin.  Emperor Penguins were one of the highlights of my recent Antarctica voyage!  Join my newsletter (coming soon) at my link in bio for more photos and stories from my adventures. 
#emperorpenguin #penguin #antarctica #birds #birdphotography

Welcome

Welcome to TimLaman.com. I’m a photographer, filmmaker, and field biologist with a passion for exploring our natural world. I hope you enjoy this website, and you can also sign up for my newsletter “Wildlife Diaries” at right to get updates on my latest adventures, photo tips, and news from the field.

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