Collared bird of paradise
| Collared bird of paradise | ||||||||||||
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Collared bird of paradise ( Lophorina superba ) |
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| Lophorina superba | ||||||||||||
| ( JR Forster , 1781) |
The superb bird-of-paradise ( Lophorina superba ), also Kragenhopf called, is a species from the family of birds of paradise (Paradisaeidae). It occurs exclusively in the mountain forests of New Guinea and is a widespread and common bird there. It plays a role that it is less sensitive to interference in its habitat than other representatives of its species.
The species is classified as not endangered ( least concern ) by the IUCN . There are four subspecies.
description
Body type and measurements
Collared birds of paradise are compact birds of paradise. Males reach a body length of up to 26 centimeters, while the females remain slightly smaller with a body length of up to 25 centimeters. In the females, the wings are also significantly smaller.
The slightly curved bill is slightly longer than the head. It measures between 2.8 and 3.3 centimeters in males. In the females, the beak has a length between 2.6 and 3.2 centimeters. The tail plumage is slightly tiered, the middle pair of control feathers is the longest, with the length of the tail plumage decreasing in males with increasing age. In the males, the tail plumage is between 9.7 and 10.9 inches long. In females, the tail plumage measures between 9.3 and 11 centimeters. Males weigh between 60 and 105 grams, the females remain slightly lighter at 54 to 85 grams.
male
The head is velvety black with a matt copper sheen except for the crown. The feathers of the vertex, on the other hand, are scale-like and have a strong metallic-green sheen and, under certain lighting conditions, have purple to magenta-colored highlights. The nostrils are feathered, the velvet black feathers are somewhat elongated and can be erected. The feathers on the chin point forward. Like the feathers above the nostrils and on the reins, they have a matt purple to magenta shimmer. The neck feathers and the feathers of the back neck are greatly elongated, they can be set up to form a collar. These feathers have a matt olive green shine. The coat, the back, the rump and the upper tail covers are black, the coat and upper tail covers have a matt olive-green sheen.
The throat is velvety black with a dark green sheen, which in certain light conditions can also appear purple to magenta. Scale-shaped feathers, which are greatly elongated, form a delta-shaped breast shield that shines with an intense metallic blue-green with violet highlights. the rest of the underside of the body is black with a slight sheen on the belly. The beak is black, the iris is dark brown, the legs and feet are black, the inside of the beak is lemon yellow to lime green.
Males not yet sexually mature are initially plumage like adult females and then gradually show the plumage of adult males. This change is first noticeable on the outer hand wings.
female
In the female, the head and neck are black-brown, only a thin white line is behind the eye. From the coat to the upper tail covers they are dark red-brown. The small wing-coverts are dark red-brown, the large wing-coverts as well as the wings are gray-brown with maroon edges. The chin and throat are white-gray and then turn into a pale red-brown on the front breast and a dark red-brown on the flanks, thighs and on the under-tail-covers. As with many other bird of paradise species, the female is cross-banded on the underside of the body, only the chin and the upper throat are finely spotted.
Distribution area, subspecies and habitat
The collar bird of paradise is widespread in New Guinea. It occurs from the north of the Vogelkop , a peninsula in western New Guinea, over the mountain ranges of central New Guinea to the tip of the southeastern peninsula. The mountains of the Huon Peninsula are also settled.
The following subspecies are distinguished:
- L. s. superba ( JR Forster , 1781) - Vogelkop (Tamrau Mountains and Arfak Mountains ) in northwest New Guinea.
- L. s. Niedda Mayr , 1930 - Wondiwoi Mountains on the Wandammen Peninsula in northwest New Guinea
- L. s. feminina Ogilvie-Grant , 1915 - Mountains of the interior of Central New Guinea.
- L. s. latipennis Rothschild , 1907 - East and Northeast New Guinea including the Huon Peninsula
- L. s. minor E. P. Ramsay , 1885 - Mountains in the southeast of New Guinea.
The collar bird of paradise occurs at altitudes between 1000 and 2300 meters, with the main distribution area being between 1650 and 1900 meters. It lives in mountain forests and is also found in forests with logging and in forest remains between gardens and agricultural areas. near Tari it can occasionally be seen sitting on thatched-roof houses in villages.
Way of life
The inconspicuously colored females can be seen more frequently than the males in the undergrowth. While foraging for food, they occasionally join other bird species such as the Schall Manucodia , the magnificent bird of paradise and the Raggi bird of paradise . Occasionally he can be seen bathing and drinking at water points in the woods.
The diet consists mainly of arthropods . In search of food, they search the branches and tree trunks of their habitat that are overgrown with moss and other epiphytes. They also pay special attention to dead leaves, the bark and rotting wood and climb almost vertical branches and trees in a way that is reminiscent of tree creepers . In addition to arthropods, they also eat fruit.
Studies of the stomach contents of a total of 14 birds have shown that in addition to birds that only feed on invertebrates, there are also individual birds that completely cover their nutritional needs with fruits. On average it is assumed that birds of paradise cover about 3/4 of their food requirements with arthropods. Of the plant-based diet, around 69 percent are capsule fruits , 19 percent stone fruits and 12 percent wild figs.
Reproduction
Like the vast majority of birds of paradise, the Carola's bird of paradise is polygynous , which means that the male mates with several females if possible. The respective female raises the offspring alone.
Courtship
The male occupies a courtship area that is on average 140 meters from the nearest courtship area of a frilled bird of paradise. The courtship area, which is defended by the male, has a size of about 1.5 hectares each. The courtship takes place near the ground or directly on the ground.
The male begins his courtship when a female approaches. He is still sitting on a branch. Breast and collar plumage are tightly arranged, the tail plumage and the wings are in their normal position, the male, however, keeps his gaze on the female, the beak is turned in their direction. The feather tuffs on the chin, which are directed forward, are, however, bristled. This courtship act is followed by repeated bucking and reattaching of the strongly iridescent breast plumage. The head is still turned towards the female. In between, he shows his elongated neck feathers again and again, but without resisting them: by an abrupt and rapid forward movement of the head, with which he presents his iridescent, shiny part to the female, they are thrown forward, they then partly fall over the head . This presentation of chest feathers, crown and neck feathers gradually increases in pace. The elongated feathers on the forehead are striped as much as possible at the height of this first phase of courtship, creating white highlights. Occasionally it also opens its beak to show the female the pale lemon-yellow to lime-green inside of the beak.
The high point of the courtship can take place on a fallen tree trunk lying almost horizontally or directly on the ground. During this courtship phase, the breast plumage and the elongated feathers on the front head are raised as much as possible, the elongated feathers of the collar are now also raised. They form a semicircle that extends from one side of the breast plumage to the other. The feather collar extends far over the head and is tilted forward. Viewed from the front, the iridescent breast plumage is enclosed by a black circle of feathers, on which white highlights are formed by the light reflections of the iridescent crown feathers. The beak is closed in the courtship pose, the tail plumage raised by 35 to 45 degrees. In this posture, the male moves with short hops towards the female, in order to then dance around the female. Each hop is accompanied by a rapid opening and closing of the wings. Mating takes about five seconds, and the female then flies away after mating.
The female is not always passive during courtship. Sometimes it approaches the male in a slightly crouched position with the wings hanging down a little. When the male dances around her and approaches her so that her beak almost touches, she occasionally hops to the side, but positions herself so that she is facing the male.
Nest, clutch and rearing of nestlings
It is considered possible that the females prefer to build their nest in the male's courtship area, with which they have previously mated. Basically, females seem to be able to brood all year round.
There are different statements about the height at which the females build the nest. Some authors report nests that are built high up in tall trees. In a more detailed analysis of eight nests in the Mount Missim area, the nests were on average only 2.1 meters above the ground. Five of the nests were in the crowns of screw trees .
The clutch comprises two eggs. It only breeds the female. The breeding season lasts 18 to 19 days. The nestling time is not exactly known.
Hybrids with other birds of paradise
The tendency of birds of paradise to cross with other species in their family was already described by Anton Reichenow at the beginning of the 20th century and thus almost earlier than for any other bird family. The bird of paradise is one of the species that mates with another species more often than any other bird of paradise.
The discovery of these hybrids occasionally means that they were initially described as a separate species. The Parotia duivenbodei is a cross between the Arfak ray bird of paradise and the collar bird of paradise . There are frequent crossings with the magnificent bird of paradise .
Most of the hybrids that are discovered are males - deviating plumage features are more noticeable in them than in the more inconspicuously colored females. Deviating from this, a female has been scientifically described that arose from a crossing of the collar bird of paradise with the Carola's bird of paradise . It was initially classified as a female of the Carola bird of paradise in the 1920s and later classified as a subspecies of the frilled bird of paradise. Since the 1990s it has been certain that it is a hybrid between the Carol and the collar bird of paradise.
Collared birds of paradise and humans
The plumage of the male is processed by some indigenous peoples of New Guinea for traditional head and neck jewelry. In the case of the Huli , the male's intensely blue-green, shiny breast plumage is the typical decoration of the ceremonial headgear of men in the Tari Valley. It is in the front center, crowned by the feathers of other bird species.
The Kalam, another indigenous people in New Guinea, compare the male's collar as their kd-wad (mesh pouch of the back) and the chest plumage as bet-wad (front mesh pouch) and with the nets with which Kalam women do their things wear.
The bird of paradise is kept comparatively often in zoological gardens. All he needs is a large aviary with bathing facilities. One of the earliest attitudes was achieved in Sydney in 1919. In contrast, breeding successes with birds of paradise are comparatively seldom. An exception is the attitude in the Honolulu Zoo, Hawaii. There, around the end of the 20th century, birds of paradise were repeatedly successfully bred with collared birds.
literature
- Bruce M. Beehler , Thane K. Pratt: Birds of New Guinea; Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics. Princeton University Press, Princeton 2016, ISBN 978-0-691-16424-3 .
- Clifford B. Frith, Bruce M. Beehler : The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1998, ISBN 0-19-854853-2 .
- Eugene M McCarthy: Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2006, ISBN 0-19-518323-1 .
Web links
- Avibase data set, bird of paradise ( Lophorina superba ) (Forster, JR, 1781)
- Lophorina superba inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
Single receipts
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 345.
- ↑ a b Handbook of the Birds of the World zum Kragenparadiesvogel , accessed on July 30, 2017
- ↑ a b c d e f Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 346.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 348.
- ↑ a b Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 350.
- ↑ a b c Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 352.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 351.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 353.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 354.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 355.
- ^ McCarthy: Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World . P. 228.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 347.
- ↑ a b c d McCarthy: Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World . P. 230.
- ↑ a b c Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 356.