Lavender bird of paradise
| Lavender bird of paradise | ||||||||||||
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Males and females of the Lavender Bird of Paradise |
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| Paradisaea decora | ||||||||||||
| Salvin & Godman , 1883 |
The lavender bird of paradise ( Paradisaea decora ), also ornamental bird of paradise , is a species from the genus of the actual birds of paradise within the family of the birds of paradise (Paradisaeidae). Unlike most members of this bird family, it does not occur in New Guinea, but on islands off the south-eastern coast of New Guinea.
The species is classified as endangered ( English vulnerable ) by the IUCN . Together with the broad-tailed paradise hop, it is one of the species among the birds of paradise that are most threatened. No subspecies are distinguished for this island end .
features
Body type and measurements
The lavender bird of paradise is one of the medium-sized birds of paradise with a body length of up to 33 centimeters. Including the greatly extended middle pair of control springs, the males even reach a length of 60 centimeters. The rest of the tail plumage measures 12.8 to 14.3 centimeters, so that the middle pair of control feathers, which is 36.8 to 53.6 centimeters long, clearly towers above it. The female, which is shorter than the male with an average body length of 29 centimeters, has tail plumage between 12.3 and 13.1 centimeters in length. The middle pair of control springs is not extended, but has a length of 10.4 to 11.2 centimeters and is therefore slightly shorter.
The beak of the males is 3.5 to 4 centimeters long, in the females the beak is 3.6 to 3.9 centimeters, almost the same length, although the females are otherwise on average 6 percent smaller than the males. So far, only a single male has been weighed, weighing 237 grams.
male
The reins , forehead, beard, chin and throat of the male are pinnate yellowish-green to dark green and are very iridescent. With certain incidence of light, these areas can even appear velvety black. The parting, the coat and the rest of the upper side of the body up to the upper tail-ceiling are orange-yellow and can form white highlights in certain lighting conditions. The wings have a lavender hue, this also applies to the top of the tail. The greatly elongated middle control spring pair only has external flags at the base and otherwise has a wire-like structure.
The breast is lavender gray and is separated from the bright green throat by a narrow, matt gray-yellow collar. Belly, thighs and under tail-covers are beige with a light pink shade. The very elongated, silky fine flank feathers are bright red with white tips. The innermost flank feathers, on the other hand, are black, short, curved inward and have a deep purple sheen. The bill is chalky blue-gray, the iris of the adult birds is sulfur-colored. The legs and feet are brown-gray. The inside of the beak is gray.
female
The reins, the forehead, the beard, the chin and the throat are reddish brown. The parting, the nape and the upper coat are yellow-brown and then merge into an olive brown and cinnamon tone on the rest of the upper side of the body. The underside of the body is cinnamon brown with fine gray transverse bands.
Distribution area and habitat
The magnificent lavender is one of the few birds of paradise whose range does not include New Guinea. It is considered to be a sister form of the Great Bird of Paradise , which occurs in large parts of New Guinea , with which it shares features such as the elongated flank feathers, the head markings and the wire-like reduced middle control spring pair. Its range is limited to the islands of Normanby and Fergusson . Ferguson Island is a volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean , about 1,437 km² in size . It is the largest of the D'Entrecasteaux Islands . Normanby is a bit smaller, like Ferguson but of volcanic origin. The D'Entrecasteaux Islands are located in the Solomon Sea , east of New Guinea.
In contrast to numerous birds of paradise, the lavender bird of paradise does not contain hybrids with other bird of paradise species. In the distribution area only the crowded paradise crow and the sonic manucodia from the family of birds of paradise occur and both species are monogamous.
The habitat are mountain forests and abandoned highland gardens of the indigenous ethnic groups of the two islands.
Way of life
Comparatively little is known about the way the lavender bird of paradise feeds. Like the vast majority of birds of paradise, they probably cover most of their food needs with fruits and also eat arthropods. It is unusual that males have already been seen looking for food in the leafy layer on the forest floor. According to reports from the indigenous peoples, such behavior is not uncommon.
On the other hand, they do not come to drink or bathe on the ground. Rather, they seek out places where water collects in tree hollows and tree trunk forks.
Reproduction
Like the vast majority of birds of paradise, the lavender bird of paradise is also polygynous , which means that the male mates with several females if possible. The respective female raises the offspring alone. The males court the females at a communal courtship, a so-called lek . There are several males in trees that are close together.
The courtship of the lavender bird of paradise has only been observed a few times. Similar to the small , large and Raggi bird of paradise, courtship has several phases. In the first phase, the males and females arrive at the lek and the males let their widely audible calls be heard. In the second phase, a single male presents his plumage. Even during this phase, individual short pairings can occur. During the courtship observed, there were also brief pairings of males who were not yet fully adult with individual females present. However, a longer and repeated mating eventually occurs through the courting female.
Nest, eggs, incubation time and the time up to which the nestlings leave the nest have not yet been described.
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
- ↑ Handbook of the Birds of the World on the Lavender Bird of Paradise , accessed on August 17, 2017
- ↑ a b c d Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 471.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 470.
- ^ McCarthy: Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World . P. 228.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 472.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 473.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 474.