Attenborough's Paradise Birds

Sir David Attenborough's new documentary traces his lifelong passion for birds of paradise.

For five centuries "birds from paradise" have captivated explorers, naturalists, artists, film-makers and even royalty. They are also one of David Attenborough's lifelong passions.

He was the first to film many of their beautiful and often bizarre displays and has spent a lifetime tracking them all over the jungles of New Guinea.

Here, David reflects on his first attempt to film the birds of paradise, their bizarre and exotic courtship rituals, his experience at a state-of-the-art breeding facility in Qatar, and how there are always wonderful things to discover.

Photographs by Tim Laman/naturepl.com and David Attenborough.

Music by Ben Salisbury. Photofilm produced by Dualtagh Herr.

Attenborough's Paradise Birds will be broadcast on Thursday 29 January 2015 at 20:00 GMT on BBC Two.

Painting Paradise: Artist Errol Fuller on working with David Attenborough, and how these enigmatic creatures have been depicted in western works of art.