Wilson's Bird of Paradise
Encyclopedia
The Wilson's Bird-of-paradise, Cicinnurus respublica, is a small, up to 21 cm long, passerine
bird of the Paradisaeidae family. The male is a red and black bird-of-paradise with a yellow mantle on its neck, light green mouth, rich blue feet and two curved violet tail feathers. The head is naked blue with black double cross
pattern on it. The female is a brownish bird with bare blue crown.
In the field the blue bare skin on the crown of the bird's head is so vivid that it is clearly visible by night, the deep scarlet back and velvet green breast are lush, and the curlicue
tail gleams bright silver.
An Indonesia
n endemic
, the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise is distributed to the hill and lowland rainforests of Waigeo
and Batanta
Islands off West Papua. The diet consists mainly of fruits and small insects.
The controversial scientific name of this species was given by Charles Lucien Bonaparte
, Napoleon's nephew and a republican
idealist, who described the bird from a badly damaged trade specimen purchased by British ornithologist Edward Wilson. In doing so, he beat John Cassin
, who wanted to name the bird in honor of Wilson, by several months. Thirteen years later, in 1863, the German
zoologist Heinrich Agathon Bernstein
discovered the home grounds of the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise in Waigeo
Island.
Due to ongoing habitat
loss, limited range and exploitation, the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise is evaluated as Near Threatened 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...
bird of the Paradisaeidae family. The male is a red and black bird-of-paradise with a yellow mantle on its neck, light green mouth, rich blue feet and two curved violet tail feathers. The head is naked blue with black double cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
pattern on it. The female is a brownish bird with bare blue crown.
Curlicue
A curlicue, or alternatively curlycue, in the visual arts, is a fancy twist, or curl, composed usually from a series of concentric circles...
tail gleams bright silver.
An 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...
n 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....
, the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise is distributed to the hill and lowland rainforests of Waigeo
Waigeo
Waigeo is an island in West Papua province of eastern Indonesia. The island is also known as Amberi, or Waigiu. It is the largest of the four main islands in the Raja Ampat Islands archipelago, between Halmahera and about 65 km to the northwest coast of New Guinea...
and Batanta
Batanta
Batanta is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in Papua province, Indonesia. Its area is 453 km² and its highest point is 1184 m.- Fauna :The following mammals are found on the island:...
Islands off West Papua. The diet consists mainly of fruits and small insects.
The controversial scientific name of this species was given by Charles Lucien Bonaparte
Charles Lucien Bonaparte
Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano was a French naturalist and ornithologist.-Biography:...
, Napoleon's nephew and a republican
Republicanism
Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...
idealist, who described the bird from a badly damaged trade specimen purchased by British ornithologist Edward Wilson. In doing so, he beat John Cassin
John Cassin
John Cassin was an American ornithologist.He is considered to be one of the giants of American ornithology, and was America's first taxonomist, describing 198 birds not previously mentioned by Alexander Wilson and John James Audubon...
, who wanted to name the bird in honor of Wilson, by several months. Thirteen years later, in 1863, the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
zoologist Heinrich Agathon Bernstein
Heinrich Agathon Bernstein
Heinrich Agathon Bernstein was a German naturalist, zoologist and explorer from Breslau .-Early years:...
discovered the home grounds of the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise in Waigeo
Waigeo
Waigeo is an island in West Papua province of eastern Indonesia. The island is also known as Amberi, or Waigiu. It is the largest of the four main islands in the Raja Ampat Islands archipelago, between Halmahera and about 65 km to the northwest coast of New Guinea...
Island.
Due to ongoing habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
loss, limited range and exploitation, the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise is evaluated as Near Threatened 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.
Trivia
- The first footage of the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise ever to be filmed was recorded in 1996 by David AttenboroughDavid AttenboroughSir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...
for the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary Attenborough in Paradise. He did so by dropping leaves on the forest floor, which irrated the bird into clearing them away.