Greater Bird of Paradise
Encyclopedia
The Greater Bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea apoda) is a Bird-of-paradise in the genus
Paradisaea
Carolus Linnaeus
named the species
Paradisaea apoda, or "legless bird-of-paradise", because early trade-skins to reach Europe
were prepared without feet by natives; this led to the misconception that these birds were beautiful visitors from paradise
that were kept aloft by their plumes and never touched the earth until death.
, with males measuring up to 43 cm (16.9 in) (excluding the long twin tail wires). The female is smaller, at only 35 cm (13.8 in). The plumage
of this species is also sexually dimorphic
. The male has an iridescent
green face and a yellow glossed with silver iridescence crown, head and nape. The rest of the body plumage is maroon-brown. The flank plumes, used in displays, are yellow at the base, turning white and streaked with maroon. The female has unbarred maroon brown plumage. In both sexes the iris is yellow and the bills blue.
and Aru Islands
, Indonesia
. The diet consists mainly of fruits, seeds and small insects. A small population was introduced
by Sir William Ingram in 1909-1912 to Little Tobago
Island of West Indies in an attempt to save the species from extinction due to overhunting for plume trades. The introduced populations survived until at least 1966, but most likely are extinct now.
A common species throughout its native range, the Greater Bird-of-paradise is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Paradisaea
Paradisaea
The genus Paradisaea consists of seven species of birds-of-paradise . The genus is found on the island of New Guinea as well as the nearby islands groups of the Aru Islands, D'Entrecasteaux Islands and West Papua Islands. The species inhabit a range of forest types from sea level to mid-montane...
Carolus Linnaeus
Carolus Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
named the species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
Paradisaea apoda, or "legless bird-of-paradise", because early trade-skins to reach Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
were prepared without feet by natives; this led to the misconception that these birds were beautiful visitors from paradise
Paradise
Paradise is a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless. It is conceptually a counter-image of the miseries of human civilization, and in paradise there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness. Paradise is a place of contentment, but it is not necessarily a land of luxury and...
that were kept aloft by their plumes and never touched the earth until death.
Description
The Greater Bird-of-paradise is the largest member in the genus ParadisaeaParadisaea
The genus Paradisaea consists of seven species of birds-of-paradise . The genus is found on the island of New Guinea as well as the nearby islands groups of the Aru Islands, D'Entrecasteaux Islands and West Papua Islands. The species inhabit a range of forest types from sea level to mid-montane...
, with males measuring up to 43 cm (16.9 in) (excluding the long twin tail wires). The female is smaller, at only 35 cm (13.8 in). The plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
of this species is also sexually dimorphic
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
. The male has an iridescent
Iridescence
Iridescence is generally known as the property of certain surfaces which appear to change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes...
green face and a yellow glossed with silver iridescence crown, head and nape. The rest of the body plumage is maroon-brown. The flank plumes, used in displays, are yellow at the base, turning white and streaked with maroon. The female has unbarred maroon brown plumage. In both sexes the iris is yellow and the bills blue.
Distribution
The Greater Bird-of-paradise is distributed to lowland and hill forests of southwest New GuineaNew Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and Aru Islands
Aru Islands
The Aru Islands are a group of about ninety-five low-lying islands in the Maluku province of eastern Indonesia. They also form a regency of Indonesia.-Geography:...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The diet consists mainly of fruits, seeds and small insects. A small population was introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
by Sir William Ingram in 1909-1912 to Little Tobago
Little Tobago
250px|thumb|right|Looking across to [[Saint Giles Island|St. Giles Island]] from Little TobagoLittle Tobago is a small island off the northeastern coast of Tobago, and part of the republic of Trinidad and Tobago...
Island of West Indies in an attempt to save the species from extinction due to overhunting for plume trades. The introduced populations survived until at least 1966, but most likely are extinct now.
A common species throughout its native range, the Greater Bird-of-paradise 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.