p Birds of paradise are one of David Attenborough 三九 s lifelong passions He was the first to film many of their beautiful and often bizarre displays, and over his lifetime he has tracked them all over the jungles of New Guinea In this very personal film, he uncovers the remarkable story of how these 三九 birds from paradise 三九 have captivated explorers, naturalists, artists, film-makers and even royalty He explores the myths surrounding their discovery 五00 years ago, the latest extraordinary behaviour captured on camera and reveals the scientific truth behind their beauty: the evolution of their spectacular appearance has in fact been driven by sex br And in a final contemporary twist to this story of obsession and royalty, he travels to the desert of Qatar, to a state-of-the-art facility which houses the largest breeding group of these birds in the world - a sheikh 三九 s very own private collection There he has his closest ever encounter with a greater bird of paradise and its dramatic display, reliving the experience that captivated him in the forests of New Guinea more than 五0 years ago br 三九 For me birds of paradise are the most romantic and glamorous birds in the world And this is a film I have wanted to make for 四0 years 三九 - Sir David Attenborough p