Eastern Parotia
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Parotia is also known as Helena's Parotia. Approximately 27 cm long, it is a medium-sized passerine
of the birds of paradise family
, Paradisaeidae. The Eastern Parotia is distributed and endemic
to mountain forests of southeast Papua New Guinea
.
Its appearance resembles Lawes's Parotia
, of which it is sometimes considered a subspecies
. It differs in the male frontal crest's and the female's dorsal
plumages colors. The male has an iridescent golden green breast shield, elongated black plumes, three erectile spatule head wires behind each blue iris
eye and golden brown nasal
tuft feathers. The female is smaller than the male, with brown plumage and black barred below.
As do other Parotia
, the male is polygamous and performs spectacular courtship display in the forest ground. The clutch
contains 1, maybe occasionally 2 eggs; one that was studied was 38.4 x 27.8 mm in size (Mackay 1990). It eats mainly fruit, seeds and arthropods.
The scientific name honors Princess Helena Augusta Victoria
, the third daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
.
A common species throughout its limited range, the Eastern Parotia is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
of the birds of paradise family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, Paradisaeidae. The Eastern Parotia is distributed and endemic
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to mountain forests of southeast Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
.
Its appearance resembles Lawes's Parotia
Lawes's Parotia
Lawes's Parotia, Parotia lawesii, is a medium-sized passerine of the birds of paradise family, Paradisaeidae. It is distributed and endemic to mountain forests of southeast and eastern Papua New Guinea. Occasionally, the Eastern Parotia is considered a subspecies of P...
, of which it is sometimes considered a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
. It differs in the male frontal crest's and the female's dorsal
Dorsum (biology)
In anatomy, the dorsum is the upper side of animals that typically run, fly, or swim in a horizontal position, and the back side of animals that walk upright. In vertebrates the dorsum contains the backbone. The term dorsal refers to anatomical structures that are either situated toward or grow...
plumages colors. The male has an iridescent golden green breast shield, elongated black plumes, three erectile spatule head wires behind each blue iris
Iris (anatomy)
The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...
eye and golden brown nasal
Nose
Anatomically, a nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which admit and expel air for respiration in conjunction with the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes through the pharynx, shared with the...
tuft feathers. The female is smaller than the male, with brown plumage and black barred below.
As do other Parotia
Parotia
The parotias are a genus, Parotia, of passerine birds in the bird-of-paradise family Paradisaeidae. They are found on New Guinea, to which they are endemic. They are also known as six-plumed birds of paradise, due to their six head quills...
, the male is polygamous and performs spectacular courtship display in the forest ground. The clutch
Clutch (eggs)
A clutch of eggs refers to all the eggs produced by birds or reptiles, often at a single time, particularly those laid in a nest.In birds, destruction of a clutch by predators, , results in double-clutching...
contains 1, maybe occasionally 2 eggs; one that was studied was 38.4 x 27.8 mm in size (Mackay 1990). It eats mainly fruit, seeds and arthropods.
The scientific name honors Princess Helena Augusta Victoria
Princess Helena of the United Kingdom
Princess Helena was a member of the British Royal Family, the third daughter and fifth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert....
, the third daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
.
A common species throughout its limited range, the Eastern Parotia is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.