Lawes's Parotia
Encyclopedia
Lawes's Parotia, Parotia lawesii, is a medium-sized (up to 27 cm long) 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. lawesii.
The male is a velvet black bird with an erectile silvery white forehead crest, iridescent purple blue nape and golden green breast plumes. The inside of its mouth is lime
-colored. Adorned with three ornamental spatule head wires from behind of each eye and elongated black flank feathers, that spread skirt
-like in courtship display (Scholes 2008). The female is a brown bird with dark head, yellow iris and dark-barred yellowish brown below. The iris
is colored in various amounts of blue and yellow, changing according to the bird's mood.
Like most birds of paradise, male Lawes's Parotia are polygamous. The clutch
contains 1, maybe occasionally 2 eggs; the few eggs that have been studied were about 33 x 24 mm in size, but these were possibly small specimens (Mackay 1990). It eats mainly fruit, seeds and arthropods.
The bird's home was discovered by Carl Hunstein
on a mountain near Port Moresby
in 1884. Its name honors the New Guinea pioneer missionary
Reverend William George Lawes
.
Widespread and common throughout its range, Lawes's 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. It 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 and eastern 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...
. Occasionally, the Eastern Parotia
Eastern Parotia
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...
is 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...
of P. lawesii.
The male is a velvet black bird with an erectile silvery white forehead crest, iridescent purple blue nape and golden green breast plumes. The inside of its mouth is lime
Lime (color)
Lime, also traditionally known as lime green or lime-green, is a color three-quarters of the way between yellow and green , so named because it is a representation of the color of the citrus fruit called limes...
-colored. Adorned with three ornamental spatule head wires from behind of each eye and elongated black flank feathers, that spread skirt
Skirt
A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped garment that hangs from the waist and covers all or part of the legs.In the western world, skirts are usually considered women's clothing. However, there are exceptions...
-like in courtship display (Scholes 2008). The female is a brown bird with dark head, yellow iris and dark-barred yellowish brown below. The 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...
is colored in various amounts of blue and yellow, changing according to the bird's mood.
Like most birds of paradise, male Lawes's Parotia are polygamous. 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; the few eggs that have been studied were about 33 x 24 mm in size, but these were possibly small specimens (Mackay 1990). It eats mainly fruit, seeds and arthropods.
The bird's home was discovered by Carl Hunstein
Carl Hunstein
Carl Hunstein was a German administrator, ornithologist and plant collector.Hunstein was born in Homberg/Efze, Germany...
on a mountain near Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
in 1884. Its name honors the New Guinea pioneer missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
Reverend William George Lawes
William George Lawes
William George Lawes was an English-born Congregationalist minister, missionary and public lecturer. He was regarded as an expert on Papua....
.
Widespread and common throughout its range, Lawes's 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.