Blue bird-of-paradise

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Blue bird-of-paradise
Paradisaea rudolphi by Bowdler Sharpe.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paradisaeidae
Genus: Paradisornis
Finsch & Meyer, A.B., 1886
Species:
P. rudolphi
Binomial name
Paradisornis rudolphi
Finsch & Meyer, AB, 1886
Paradisaea rudolphi distr.png
Range of P. rudolphi
Synonyms

The blue bird-of-paradise (Paradisornis rudolphi) is a large species of bird-of-paradise. It is the only species in the genus Paradisornis, but was previously included in the genus Paradisaea .

Contents

It is often regarded as one of the most fabulous and extravagant of all birds of the world, with its glorified and fancy flank feathers present only in males and the two long wires also only found in the males.

Taxonomy

The blue bird-of-paradise was formally described in 1886 by the German naturalists Otto Finsch and Adolf Bernhard Meyer. They placed the bird in a new genus Paradisornis and coined the binomial name Paradisornis rudolphi. [2] The genus name Paradisornis combines the Ancient Greek paradeisos meaning "paradise" with ornis meaning "bird". The specific epithet rudolphi was chosen to honour Archduke Rudolf Franz Karl Joseph, the Crown-Prince of Austria. [3] This species was formerly placed in the genus Paradisaea. [4]

Two subspecies are recognised: [5]

The blue bird-of-paradise is known to have hybridized with Lawes's parotia (Parotia lawesii), which is called "Schodde's bird-of-paradise", [6] and also with the Raggiana bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea raggiana).

Description

Nominate male specimen at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center. More of its sexual ornamentation can be seen ventrally. Naturalis Biodiversity Center - RMNH.AVES.141707 2 - Paradisaea rudolphi rudolphi (Finsch, 1885) - Paradisaeidae - bird skin specimen.jpeg
Nominate male specimen at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center. More of its sexual ornamentation can be seen ventrally.

Arguably one of the most fabulous of its family, the blue bird-of-paradise is among the larger birds-of-paradise, being around 30 cm, or a little over a foot in length (excluding the long tail wires), rivaling some of the Paradisaea and Manucodia species. Unlike the Paradisaea birds, the male is mostly glossy black overall with silver-white crescents surrounding the eyes (in both sexes). They have a very crow-like bill that is whiteish to light greyish in colour. The back of the head has a reddish gloss that stretches down to the mantle, or back. A defining feature found in both sexes are the shiny, blue wings that are more commonly light blue but can range from light blue, aqua, or even a skyish-baby blue; the tail is also like this. Stretching from the tail are two blackish and elongated wires with small, whitish spatulate tips similar Paradisaea males' wires. The most brilliant and distinctive feature present on the male are the fine, silky elongated flank plumes that are mainly a dull amber colour on the surface; below, they are a light blue, based by two dark crimson lines on each side of the lower belly. These elegant features help the male create an illusion for his potential audience. The female, however, is more or less similar to the male; of course, she lacks the opulent flank plumes and tail wires present on the male, but she does sport bright blue wings and tail feathers like the male. Instead of having an all-black underside, she is chestnut-brown below with blackish barring. Her head and neck are duller also, with only a faint reddish gloss present. They have purplish-grey legs and feet and greyer claws. The wires on the blue bird-of-paradise are 25 inches long.

Behaviour and ecology

Diet

The blue bird-of-paradise is mainly a frugivorous species, feeding on a good variety of fruits like figs, drupes, and berries, but animal prey is also present in the diet; it not only includes insects, but also some vertebrates like reptiles. They typically feed alone, though females and juveniles are more likely to feed in trees in association with other birds or other species. They are shown to search high in the canopy when seeking fruits and apparently forage at lower altitudes when in search of their animal prey. [7]

Breeding

A male specimen preserved in its display posture. The bird arranges itself upside down and spreads out its glorious "fountain" of blue flank plumes, with a black and red-edged oval in or near the center of the figure, and two elongated, bulbous-tipped tail wires flailing around its body. Uberseemuseum Bremen 2009 022.JPG
A male specimen preserved in its display posture. The bird arranges itself upside down and spreads out its glorious "fountain" of blue flank plumes, with a black and red-edged oval in or near the center of the figure, and two elongated, bulbous-tipped tail wires flailing around its body.

The male is polygamous and performs a breathtaking courtship display. But unlike most other birds of paradise species, he performs solitary on a preferably thin branch, while an attending female observes nearby. In the display, the male hangs from a branch upside down. The black oval with a red margin at the center of his chest is rhythmically enlarged and contracted. His violet-blue plumes spread out in a fan, looking like an apron, swaying its body back and forth while the black wires form two impressive arches down to either side. During this display, he continuously makes a soft, insect-like buzzing noise, mixed with a chittering or chattering noise to rope the female back in if she moves away.

The nesting and parental duties are covered only by the females; she builds her nest with stems, twigs, palm leaves, vines, and other materials all by herself, usually in a flat cup-like shape. They mostly lay one egg, but two are less occasional, and the mother is very defensive of her brood. The eggs are described to be a salmon-type color, with the ends being ringed with flecks of cinnamon-rufous to tawny. [8]

Status and conservation

Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range, small population size, and, in some areas, hunting for its highly prized plumes, the rare blue bird-of-paradise is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. [1] It is listed in Appendix II of CITES. Its population is thought to have a decreasing trend, estimated to be anywhere from 2,500 to 10,000 individuals.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bird-of-paradise</span> Family of birds of the order Passeriformes

The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species are found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and eastern Australia. The family has 45 species in 17 genera. The members of this family are perhaps best known for the plumage of the males of the species, the majority of which are sexually dimorphic. The males of these species tend to have very long, elaborate feathers extending from the beak, wings, tail, or head. For the most part, they are confined to dense rainforest habitats. The diet of all species is dominated by fruit and to a lesser extent arthropods. The birds-of-paradise have a variety of breeding systems, ranging from monogamy to lek-type polygamy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronze parotia</span> Species of bird

The bronze parotia, also known as the Foja parotia, Berlepsch's parotia or Berlepsch's six-wired bird-of-paradise, is a species of bird-of-paradise, in the family Paradisaeidae. It resembles and is often considered to be a subspecies of Carola's parotia, but a high majority of authorities support its specific status.

<i>Paradisaea</i> Genus of birds

The genus Paradisaea consists of six 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 Raja Ampat Islands. The species inhabit a range of forest types from sea level to mid-montane forests. Several species have highly restricted distributions, and all species have disjunct distributions. A 2009 study examining the mitochondrial DNA of the family found that the Paradisaea birds-of-paradise were in a clade with the genus Cicinnurus. It showed that the blue bird-of-paradise was a sister taxon to all the other species in this genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King of Saxony bird-of-paradise</span> Species of bird

The King of Saxony bird-of-paradise is a bird in the bird-of-paradise family (Paradisaeidae). It is the only member of the genus Pteridophora. It is endemic to montane forest in New Guinea.

<i>Epimachus</i> Genus of birds

Epimachus is a genus of birds-of-paradise (Paradisaeidae) that includes two species, found in the highland forests of New Guinea. They are the largest members of the family. The common name "sicklebill" refers to their long, decurved, sickle-shaped bill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emperor bird-of-paradise</span> Species of bird

The emperor bird-of-paradise, also known as emperor of Germany's bird-of-paradise, is a species of bird-of-paradise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnificent bird-of-paradise</span> Species of bird

The magnificent bird-of-paradise is a species of bird-of-paradise. The magnificent bird-of-paradise is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They are listed in Appendix II of CITES.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown sicklebill</span> Species of bird

The brown sicklebill is a species of bird-of-paradise that is found in the mountain forests of New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater lophorina</span> Species of bird

The greater lophorina, formerly a subspecies of the superb bird-of-paradise, is a species of passerine bird in the bird-of-paradise family Paradisaeidae. It is found in the central and northeast montane regions of New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater bird-of-paradise</span> Species of bird

The greater bird-of-paradise is a bird-of-paradise in the genus Paradisaea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carola's parotia</span> Species of bird

Carola's parotia, also known as Queen Carola's six-wired bird-of-paradise or Queen Carola's parotia, is a species of bird-of-paradise.

<i>Parotia</i> Genus of birds

The parotias are a genus, Parotia, of passerine birds in the bird-of-paradise family Paradisaeidae. They are endemic to New Guinea. They are also known as six-plumed birds of paradise, due to their six head quills. These birds were featured prominently in the BBC series Planet Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser bird-of-paradise</span> Species of bird

The lesser bird-of-paradise is a bird-of-paradise in the genus Paradisaea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western parotia</span> Species of bird

The western or Arfak parotia is a medium-sized, approximately 33 cm long, bird-of-paradise with a medium-length tail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huon astrapia</span> Species of bird

The Huon astrapia, also known as Rothschild's astrapia, Huon bird-of-paradise, or Lord Rothschild's bird-of-paradise, is a species of bird-of-paradise belonging to the genus Astrapia. Like most of its congeners, A. rothschildi is a rather elusive member of its genus and family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raggiana bird-of-paradise</span> Species of bird

The Raggiana bird-of-paradise, also known as Count Raggi's bird-of-paradise, is a large bird in the bird-of-paradise family Paradisaeidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-billed sicklebill</span> Species of bird

The black-billed sicklebill, also known as the buff-tailed sicklebill, is a species of bird-of-paradise. It, along with its congener, are the only members of the genus Drepanornis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawes's parotia</span> Species of bird

Lawes's parotia, is a medium-sized passerine of the bird-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 species is similar to the western parotia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empress of Germany's bird of paradise</span> Subspecies of bird

The Empress of Germany's bird of paradise, Paradisaea raggiana augustavictoriae, is a large, up to 34 cm long, maroon brown bird in the family Paradisaeidae, one of three families of birds known as birds of paradise. The male has a dark emerald green throat, yellow crown, pale brown below and narrow yellow throat collar. It closely resembles the crimson-plumed Raggiana bird-of-paradise, but has apricot orange rather than crimson flank plumes. The female is an overall brown bird with yellow head and dark brown face.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2021). "Paradisornis rudolphi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T22706266A182429776. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Finsch, Otto; Meyer, Adolf Bernhard (1886). "Vögel von Neu Guinea". Zeitschrift für die gesammte Ornithologie (in German and Latin). 2 (4): 369–391 [385, Plate 20]. Although the volume is dated 1885 on the title page, the issue was not published until 1886.
  3. ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp.  341, 291. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. ↑ Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1962). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 15. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 201.
  5. ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2022). "Crows, mudnesters, melampittas, Ifrit, birds-of-paradise". IOC World Bird List Version 12.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  6. ↑ Frith, Clifford B.; Frith, Dawn W. (1996-09-18). "Description of the unique Parotia lawesii x Paradisaea rudolphi hybrid Bird of Paradise (Aves: Passeriformes: Paradisaeidae)". Records of the Australian Museum. 48 (2): 111–116. doi: 10.3853/j.0067-1975.48.1996.283 . ISSN   0067-1975.
  7. ↑ "Blue Bird-of-paradise (Paradisornis rudolphi)". www.hbw.com. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  8. ↑ Smithe, M. (1975). "Color codes for naturalists". American Museum of Natural History, New York.
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