Mad bird of paradise
| Mad bird of paradise | ||||||||||||
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Mad bird of paradise - shown with only one elongated decorative feather each |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Parotia wahnesi | ||||||||||||
| Rothschild , 1906 |
The bird of paradise ( Parotia wahnesi ), also known as the long-tailed bird of paradise , is a species of bird from the family of birds of paradise (Paradisaeidae). It occurs exclusively in the east of New Guinea. As is characteristic of a bird of paradise, the male has three elongated decorative feathers on each side of the head. The male also has a striking feather tuff above the beak. Compared to other birds of paradise, the tail plumage is comparatively long. The name is reminiscent of Carl Wahnes, who found the type specimen in the Rawlinson Mountains in 1906.
The IUCN classifies the population of the crazy bird of paradise as near threatened . No subspecies are distinguished.
description
Body type and measurements
The males of the mad bird of paradise reach a body length of 43 centimeters. The tail plumage is tiered. The middle pair of control feathers, which protrudes beyond the rest of the tail plumage, reaches a length of 20 to 22.5 centimeters. The rest of the tail plumage is between 15.9 and 19.8 inches long.
The females remain slightly smaller with a body length of 36 centimeters. Their tail plumage is also tiered. The middle and longest pair of control springs are between 16.1 and 17.5 centimeters long. The rest of the tail plumage is between 14 and 16.4 inches long.
The beak measures between 2.9 and 3.3 centimeters in males and between 2.8 and 3.3 centimeters in females. The males weigh an average of 171 grams, the females weigh between 144 and 154 grams.
male
The males have a velvety black plumage. On the forehead, above the nostrils, there is a large feather tuff that can be set up and is bronze-colored. Behind it is a narrow band of blue iridescent feathers. Behind each eye, at the level of the ear covers, there are feather ears made of elongated, pointed feathers. Three of the feathers are strongly elongated like a wire and end in small, almost round black ovals.
The rest of the body including the upper side of the tail plumage is black and shimmers bluish purple in certain light conditions. The chin and throat shimmer purple. The breast plumage, which consists of large, scale-shaped feathers, has an iridescent emerald green to greenish yellow. In certain lighting conditions, purple or magenta colored highlights are also formed. The rest of the underside of the body has a slight purple sheen.
The beak is glossy black, the iris is cobalt blue with a cream-colored outer ring. The legs and feet are purple gray.
A description of juvenile males is still pending. In their first year of life, they probably resemble the adult females, as they do with other birds of paradise, and then gradually change to the plumage of the adult males.
female
The female has a matt black-brown head. The nape of the neck is browner and may have individual chestnut-colored spots. A very narrow whitish streak runs behind the eye. The streak of beard is also whitish and has fine gray-black spots. The top of the body is red-brown with fine dark dots on the mantle. The chin and throat are whitish to light gray. The rest of the underside of the body is light brown to light cinnamon with darker transverse bands.
Distribution area and habitat
The distribution area of the mad bird of paradise is in eastern New Guinea. It extends over a narrow strip of coastal mountain ranges on the north coast. The range includes the Saruwaged and Finisterre Mountains as well as the Adelbert and Rawlinson Mountains . The mad bird of paradise occurs here at altitudes between 1100 and 1700 meters. The mad bird of paradise inhabits mountain forests here. The Rothschild paradise elster, which belongs to the genus of the paradise star and which also has a very long tail plumage, also occurs in the distribution area. However, the Rothschild Paradise Magpie is dark green on the underside of the body, the plumage has an oily iridescent sheen.
Way of life
The mad bird of paradise is a very agile bird whose calls can be heard frequently. Cliffort Frith and Bruce Beehler compare the diet of the mad bird of paradise with that of the blue- necked bird of paradise . Fruits cover most of the food requirement, and the mad bird of paradise also eats arthropods and insects. While foraging they sometimes hang upside down on the branches to get fruit or to search epiphytes for invertebrates. Individuals kept in the Baiyer River Sanctuary have also been observed to eat leaves.
Reproduction
Like the vast majority of birds of paradise, the crazy bird of paradise is polygynous , which means that the male mates with several females if possible. The respective female raises the offspring alone.
Courtship area
The males have individual courtship places, some of which are very close to one another. Among other things, two courtship sites were found that were located on a ridge at an altitude of 1590 meters and only five meters apart. Courtship areas are usually found on or near clearings that have been created by wind breaks and are thus open to the top. This differentiates the mad bird of paradise from the closely related Arfak ray bird of paradise, which basically sets up its courtship grounds in the dense forest interior, where it is overshadowed by the treetops of higher trees.
The males remove leaves and similar organic materials to such an extent that the fine root system is exposed. At or on the courtship area stand individual tree saplings, from which they largely remove the leaves. The courtship areas have a diameter of 1 to 1.5 meters.
Courtship
The courtship display of the Wahnesbaradiesvogel has many elements in common with the complex courtship of the blue- necked bird of paradise . Courtship includes ritualized cleaning of the courtship area, in which, however, no more organic material is removed, as well as a sequence of tripping dance steps. With numerous courtship elements, the tail plumage is presented, which is set up high and opened and closed like a fan. The middle and longest pair of control springs remain immobile and closed. As with many radiant birds of paradise, the mad bird of paradise also ruffles its back and flank plumage so that they protrude like an umbrella. With other courtship elements, the elongated decorative feathers are thrown forward and made to vibrate through quick movements of the head or body.
Nest, clutch and rearing of the young birds
So far no nests of wild birds of paradise have been found. A female kept in the Bayer River Sanctuary laid an egg on two consecutive days. These were cream in color with elongated broad strokes of gray and brownish color. So far nothing is known about the breeding period or the rearing of the young birds.
attitude
London Zoo received a girl in 1931 and other individuals, including at least one female, in 1939.
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
Single receipts
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 292.
- ↑ Handbook of the Birds of the World zum Wahnesparadiesvogel , accessed on July 24, 2017
- ↑ a b c d Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 293.
- ↑ a b Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 294.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 296.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 297.