Formerly presumed to have been monogamous, it is now considered to breed polygynously.

The diet consists mainly of fruits, seeds and insects.

The short-tailed paradigalla is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The short-tailed paradigalla is medium-sized, approximately 23 cm long, stocky black plumaged with slender black bill and bright yellow and blue wattles in front of each eye.

The short-tailed paradigalla is distinguished from its nearest relative, the long-tailed paradigalla, by its smaller size, shorter tail feathers and lack of red on the wattles.