The greater lophorina was formally described in 1907 by the English zoologist Walter Rothschild based on a specimen collected in the Rawlinson Mountains on the Huon Peninsula of north-eastern Papua New Guinea.

They also proposed a neotype from the Kobowre Mountains in New Guinea for the no longer extant type specimen for Lophorina superba.

[6] Although, the split was generally supported by other ornithologists, the designation of the neotype and the resulting assignment of subspecies were strongly disputed.

[14] The greater lophorina travels across the trees in the forest to catch its prey, which can vary depending on seasonal availability of food.

[13] The male has not only been known to eat fruits and insects, but also has been spotted preying on larger animals such as frogs, reptiles, and other small birds.

[17] After carefully and meticulously preparing a "dance floor" (even scrubbing the dirt or branch smooth with leaves), the male first attracts a female with a loud call.

[12] The greater lophorina forms their nest on top of trees using soft material that they find around the forest such as leaves.

[14] Although heavily hunted for its plumes, the greater lophorina is one of the most common and widespread birds of paradise in the forests of New Guinea, and is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.