Birds of Paradise
Adult male Lesser Bird of Paradise, Paradisaea minor
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Paradisaeidae
Genera
13, see list below Species See text Strelitzia is a genus of five species of perennial plants, native to South Africa. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Lesser_Bird_of_Paradise. ... Binomial name Paradisaea minor Shaw, 1809 The Lesser Bird of Paradise, Paradisaea minor is a medium-sized, up to 32cm long, maroon brown bird of paradise with a yellow crown and brownish yellow upper back. ... Scientific classification redirects here. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ...

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Paradisaeidae

The birds of paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. They are found in eastern Indonesia, Torres Strait Islands, Papua New Guinea, and eastern Australia. The members of this family are perhaps best known for the plumage of the males of most species, in particular highly elongated and elaborate feathers extending from the beak, wings or head. Birds of paradise range in size from the King Bird of Paradise at 50 grams (1.8 oz) and 15 cm (6 in) to the Black Sicklebill at 110 cm (43 in) and the Curl-crested Manucode at 430 grams (15.2 oz). Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australias Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea. ... Binomial name Cicinnurus regius Linnaeus, 1758 The smallest and most vividly colored of the Paradisaeidae, the King Bird of Paradise, Cicinnurus regius is a crimson and white bird with bright blue feet and green-tipped fan-like plumes on its shoulder. ... Binomial name Epimachus fastuosus Hermann, 1783 The Black Sicklebill, Epimachus fastuosus is a large bird of paradise of midmountain forests of New Guinea. ... Binomial name Manucodia comrii P.L. Sclater, 1876 The Curl-crested Manucode, Manucodia comrii is a compact and large, up to 43cm long, bird of paradise with glossy purple, black and green plumage, red iris and crinkled yellowish green upper breast and neck feathers. ...

Best known are the members of the genus Paradisaea, including the type species, the Greater Bird of Paradise, Paradisaea apoda. This species was described from specimens brought back to Europe from trading expeditions. These specimens had been prepared by native traders by removing their wings and feet so that they could be used as decorations. This was not known to the explorers and led to the belief that the birds never landed but were kept permanently aloft by their plumes. This is the origin of both the name "birds of paradise" and the specific name apoda - without feet. Subgenus Paradisornis The genus Paradisaea Linnaeus, 1758 consist of seven species of birds of paradise. ... Binomial name Paradisaea apoda Linnaeus, 1758 The Greater Bird of Paradise is a large maroon brown bird with yellow crown, dark emerald green throat and blackish brown breast cushion. ...

Most species have elaborate mating rituals, with the Paradisaea species using a lek-type mating system. Others, such as the Cicinnurus and Parotia species, have highly ritualized mating dances. Males are polygamous in the sexually dimorphic species. Hybridization is frequent in these birds. Many hybrids have been described as new species, and doubt remains regarding whether some forms, such as Rothschild's Lobe-billed Bird of Paradise, are valid. A lek (from Swedish lek, a noun which typically denotes pleasurable and less rule-bound games and activities) is a tournament (the males of certain species of animals for the purposes of competitive mating display), held before and during the breeding season, day after day, when the same group of... Binomial name Cicinnurus respublica (Bonaparte,, 1850) The Wilsons Bird of Paradise, Cicinnurus respublica, is a small bird, roughly the size of a starling, that is endemic to the islands of Waigeo and Batanta off western Papua New Guinea. ... The genus Parotia, Vieillot, 1816 of family Paradisaeidae is found and endemic to the island of New Guinea. ... Polygamy, literally many marriages in ancient Greek, is a marital practice in which a person has more than one spouse simultaneously (as opposed to monogamy where each person has a maximum of one spouse at any one time). ... Female (left) and male Common Pheasant, illustrating the dramatic difference in both color and size, between the sexes Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. ... This article is about a biological term. ... Binomial name Rothschild, 1903 The Rothschilds Lobe-billed Bird of Paradise (Loboramphus nobilis) is one of six enigmatic species of Bird of Paradise collected in Papua New Guinea for zoologist Lionel Walter Rothschild in 1903. ...

Clutch size is somewhat uncertain. In the large species, it is probably almost always just one egg. Smaller species may produce clutches of 2-3.(Mackay 1990) A clutch of blackbird (Turdus merula) eggs. ...

The manucodes are the most primitive of the group. The Birds of Paradise are the sister group to the Corvids (crows & jays). Genera Platylophus Gymnorhinus Cyanocitta Aphelocoma Cyanocorax Garrulus Cissa Perisoreus Urocissa Cyanopica Dendrocitta Crypsirina Pica Zavattariornis Podoces Nucifraga Pyrrhocorax Ptilostomus Corvus The crow family (Corvidae) has members that are above average in size for the bird order Passeriformes; in fact, it includes several that are among the largest. ...

Species of Birds of Paradise

Binomial name Paradisaea minor Shaw, 1809 The Lesser Bird of Paradise, Paradisaea minor is a medium-sized, up to 32cm long, maroon brown bird of paradise with a yellow crown and brownish yellow upper back. ... Binomial name Paradisaea apoda Linnaeus, 1758 The Greater Bird of Paradise is a large maroon brown bird with yellow crown, dark emerald green throat and blackish brown breast cushion. ... Binomial name Paradisaea raggiana P.L. Sclater, 1873 Raggiana Bird of Paradise, Paradisaea raggiana is a beautiful large maroon brown bird with yellow crown, dark emerald green throat and yellow collar between the throat and its blackish upper breast feathers. ... Binomial name Paradisaea decora Salvin & Godman, 1883 The Goldies Bird of Paradise, Paradisaea decora is a large, up to 33cm long, olive brown bird of paradise. ... Binomial name Paradisaea rubra Daudin, 1800 The Red Bird of Paradise, Paradisaea rubra is a large, up to 33cm long, brown and yellow bird of paradise with a dark brown iris, grey legs and yellow bill. ... Template:The empora bird is a load of shit its fake The Emperor Bird of Paradise, Paradisaea guilielmi also known as Emperor of Germanys Bird of Paradise is a large, up to 33cm long, yellow and brown bird of paradise with a reddish brown iris, bluish grey bill and... Binomial name Paradisaea rudolphi Finsch, 1885 Regarded by ornithologists as the loveliest of all birds, Blue Bird of Paradise is black and bright blue bird with a broken white eye-ring, extravagantly adorned with beautiful violet blue and cinnamon flank plumes and two long ribbon-like tail feathers. ...

Greater "Melampitta"

• Greater Melampitta, "Melampitta" gigantea - tentatively included in this group

Formerly placed here

• Loria's Bird-of-paradise, Cnemophilus loriae - probably closer to Melanocharitidae (berrypeckers) (Cracraft & Feinstein 2000).
• Crested Bird-of-paradise, Cnemophilus macgregorii - probably closer to Melanocharitidae (Cracraft & Feinstein 2000).
• Yellow-breasted Bird-of-paradise, Loboparadisea sericea - probably closer to Melanocharitidae (Cracraft & Feinstein 2000).
• Macgregor's Giant Honeyeater (formerly "Macgregor's Bird-of-paradise"), Macgregoria pulchra - recently found to be a honeyeater (Cracraft & Feinstein 2000).
• Lesser Melampitta, Melampitta lugubris - for some time tentatively placed here; probably Orthonychidae (logrunners)

This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Genus Melanocharis Sclater, 1858, Toxorhamphus Stresemann , 1914 The Melanocharitidae, the berrypeckers and longbills, is a small bird family restricted to the forests of New Guinea. ... Genera Anthochaera Acanthagenys Plectorhyncha Philemon Xanthornyzma Entomyzon Manorina Xanthotis Meliphaga Lichenostomus Melithreptus Notiomystis Glycichaera Lichmera Trichodere Grantiella Phylidonyris Ramsayornis Conopophila Acanthorhynchus Certhionyx Myzomela Anthornis Prosthemadera Epthianura Ashbyia The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family of small to medium sized birds most common in Australia and New Guinea, but also... Binomial name Melampitta lugubris Schlegel, 1871 The Lesser Melampitta, Melampitta lugubris is a medium-sized, up to 18cm long, enigmatic terrestrial songbird of mountain forests of New Guinea. ... Species Orthonyx temminckii Orthonyx spaldingii Orthonyx novaeguineae Orthonyx is the scientific name given in 1820, by C. J. Temminck, to a little bird, which, from the straightness of its claws character somewhat exaggerated by himits large feet and spiny tail, he judged to be generically distinct from any other form. ...

Relationship with humans

Societies of New Guinea often use bird of paradise plumes in their dress and rituals, and the plumes were very important in Europe in ladies' millinery in past centuries. Hunting for plumes and habitat destruction have reduced some species to endangered status; habitat destruction due to deforestation is now the predominant threat. Millinery is womens hats and other articles sold by a milliner, or the profession or business of designing, making, or selling hats for women. ... This article is about the process of deforestation in the environment. ...

Hunting birds of paradise for their plumes for the millinery trade was extensive in the late 19th and early 20th century (Cribb 1997), but today the birds enjoy legal protection and hunting is only permitted at a sustainable level to fulfill the ceremonial needs of the local tribal population. In the case of Pteridophora plumes, scavenging from old bowerbird bowers is encouraged. When King Mahendra of Nepal was crowned in 1955, it was found that the bird of paradise plumes of the Nepali royal crown were in need of replacement. Due to the hunting ban, replacements were eventually procured from a confiscated shipment seized by United States Customs. Binomial name Pteridophora alberti Meyer, 1894 The King of Saxony Bird of Paradise, Pteridophora alberti is a small, up to 22cm long, passerine bird of the Paradisaeidae family. ... Genera Ailuroedus Archboldia Amblyornis Prionodura Sericulus Ptilonorhynchus Chlamydera The 19 bowerbirds and catbirds make up the family Ptilonorhynchidae. ... Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (June 11, 1920 - January 31, 1972) was king of Nepal from 1955 to 1972. ...

Hunting of birds of paradise has occurred for a long time, possibly since the beginning of human settlement. It is a peculiarity that among the most frequently-hunted species, males start mating opportunistically even before they grow their ornamental plumage. This may be an adaptation maintaining population levels in the face of hunting pressures, which have probably been present for 30 millennia.

An adult-plumaged male bird of paradise is depicted on the flag of Papua New Guinea. David Attenborough has nominated some bird of paradise as his favorite animal species, probably referring to Wilson's Bird of Paradise. Subgenus Paradisornis The genus Paradisaea Linnaeus, 1758 consist of seven species of birds of paradise. ... Sir David Frederick Attenborough, OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS,FZS (born on 8 May 1926 in London, England) is one of the worlds most acclaimed broadcasters and naturalists. ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Cicinnurus respublica Bonaparte,, 1850 The Wilsons Bird of Paradise, Cicinnurus respublica, is a small bird, roughly the size of a starling, that is endemic to the islands of Waigeo and Batanta off western Papua New Guinea. ...

See also

• Fauna of New Guinea

Lesser Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea minor) The fauna of New Guinea comprises a large number of species of mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, invertebrates and amphibians. ...

References

• Cracraft, J. & Feinstein, J. (2000): What is not a bird of paradise? Molecular and morphological evidence places Macgregoria in the Meliphagidae and the Cnemophilinae near the base of the corvoid tree. Proc. R. Soc. B 267: 233-241.
• Cribb, Robert (1997): Birds of paradise and environmental politics in colonial Indonesia, 1890-1931. In: Boomgaard, Peter; Columbijn, Freek & Henley, David(eds.): Paper landscapes: explorations in the environmental history of Indonesia: 379-408. KITLV Press, Leiden. ISBN 90-6718-124-2
• Frith, Clifford B. & Beehler, Bruce M. (1998): The Birds of Paradise: Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-854853-2
• Mackay, Margaret D. (1990): The Egg of Wahnes' Parotia Parotia wahnesi (Paradisaeidae). Emu 90(4): 269. PDF fulltext

Cover of Proceedings of the Royal Society is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society of London. ... Emu, subtitled Austral Ornithology (ISSN 0158-4197), is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU). ...

External links

• Birds of Paradise
• Streaming video of a few birds of paradise's courtship display