Although not the most vibrant in appearance, the curl-crest manucode is certainly a vocally evolved species. In most birds, the trachea extends straight from the mouth to the lungs, whereas in this species, it extends towards the lower chest area and coils back through the abdominal cavity and then reaches the lungs, which works like a wind instrument and gives the curl-crested manucode a characteristic mellow, fluting sound which is audible from a considerable distance. These vocalizations are common in courtship displays, where the males follow insistently the females among the vegetation spreading their wings and tail and raising their bodies in a strutting fashion. Manucode pairs also vocalize to defend their territories from invading pairs.