Other Names (World)
Masked Bowerbird, Flame Bowerbird, Black-faced Bowerbird, Black-faced Golden Bowerbird, New Guinea Golden Bowerbird, Northern Flame Bowerbird, Golden Regentbird
North-western and northern New Guinea, from mountains of Vogelkop, Wandammen Mts, Weyland Mts, Oranje Mts, and central ranges and northern coastal ranges (Torricelli Mts, Prince Alexander Mts) east to near Sepik R.
 
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Masked Bowerbird (Sericulus aureus) [XC26338]
by Andrew Spencer from Arfak Mountains, Vogelkop, Papua, Indonesia (call)
Masked Bowerbird (Sericulus aureus) [XC62367]
by id from Arfak Mountain Trek, Ciraubri camp, Irian Jaya Barat, Indonesia (call)
Subspecies
May form a superspecies with Sericulus ardens (if treated as a separate species), Fire-maned Bowerbird (Sericulus bakeri) and Regent Bowerbird (Sericulus chrysocephalus) and is often treated as conspecific with Sericulus ardens, with which it hybridizes in area of marginal range overlap on Wataikwa R (south-western New Guinea).
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
aureus (Linnaeus, 1758) - North-western and northern New Guinea, from mountains of Vogelkop, Wandammen Mts, Weyland Mts, Oranje Mts, and central ranges and northern coastal ranges (Torricelli Mts, Prince Alexander Mts) east to near Sepik R.
ardens D'Albertis and Salvadori, 1879 - Southern New Guinea from Wataikwa R-Mimika R and upper Noord R-Endrich R east to upper Fly R, Strickland R and Nomad R, and to near Ludesa Mission (Mt Bosavi). Also in Tarara-Morehead area and inland from Merauke (between Kumbe and Merauke R). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Sericulus ardens. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Flame Bowerbird (Sericulus ardens).