Parotia

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Parotia
Parotia lawesii by Bowdler Sharpe.jpg
Lawes's parotia, Parotia lawesii
Male above, female below
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paradisaeidae
Genus: Parotia
Vieillot, 1816
Type species
Paradisea sefilata [1]
J.R. Forster, 1781
Species

6; see text.

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 .

Contents

The males of the genus are characterized by an ornamental plumage consisting of six wired head plumes with black oval-shaped tips, a neck collar of black, decomposed feathers which can be spread into a skirt-like shape, and bright or iridescent head and throat markings. During courtship, they perform ballerina-like dances and spread out their "skirt" on a patch of forest floor they have meticulously cleaned of dead leaves and other debris. [2] The "ballerina dances" usually consist of the male hopping from foot and bobbing their heads from side to side. The males are polygamous and do not take part in raising the young. Clutch size is somewhat uncertain; it is usually one to three eggs. [3]

Taxonomy

The genus name is composed of par, meaning "near" and Ancient Greek ωτοςōtos for "ear", specifically meaning "curl of hair by the ear", referring to six head plumes on each side of the head, characteristic to male birds of this genus. [4]

Species

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.

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

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

<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.

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

The king bird-of-paradise is a passerine bird of the Paradisaeidae (bird-of-paradise) family. It is considered by the IOC checklist to be the only member of the genus Cicinnurus, although the genus Diphyllodes is closely related and is subsumed under Cicinnurus by many other authorities.

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

The black sicklebill is a large member of the birds of paradise family, Paradisaeidae. This species is found throughout most of central New Guinea and the Vogelkop region to the northwest in montane forests at altitudes from 1,800 to 2,150 m.

<i>Lophorina</i> Genus of birds

Lophorina is a genus of birds in the birds-of-paradise family Paradisaeidae that are endemic to New Guinea, formerly containing a single species, but as of 2017, containing three species.

<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">Greater lophorina</span> Species of bird

The greater lophorina, also known as superb bird-of-paradise or greater superb bird-of-paradise, is a species of the Paradisaeidae (bird-of-paradise) family. It was considered the sole species in the genus until in 2017 it was recognised that there were three species.

<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.

<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.

The eastern parotia, also known as Helena's parotia, is a medium-sized passerine of the bird-of-paradise family, Paradisaeidae, endemic to mountain forests of the Bird's Tail Peninsula. It is approximately 27 cm long.

<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">Splendid astrapia</span> Species of bird

The Splendid astrapia is a species of Astrapia of the birds-of-paradise family, Paradisaeidae, and one of the least known and most elusive of its family and genus.

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

Wahnes's parotia is a medium-sized passerine of the bird-of-paradise family (Paradisaeidae). This species is distributed and endemic to the mountain forests of Huon Peninsula and Adelbert Mountains, northeast Papua New Guinea. The diet consists mainly of fruits and arthropods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradise riflebird</span> Species of bird

The paradise riflebird is a passerine bird of the family Paradisaeidae. It is one of four riflebird species in the genus Ptiloris. It is found in subtropical, temperate rainforests in eastern Australia. The species is sexually dimorphic; the male is black with iridescent blue-green patches, while the female is gray-brown and white.

<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">Magnificent riflebird</span> Species of bird

The magnificent riflebird is a species of passerine bird in the birds-of-paradise family Paradisaeidae.

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

The crescent-caped lophorina or Vogelkop superb bird-of-paradise, sometimes noted as the curl-caped bird-of-paradise, is a species of the Paradisaeidae (bird-of-paradise) family. It is endemic to the Bird's Head Peninsula in New Guinea. First described in 1930 by Ernst Mayr, it had been treated as a subspecies of the superb bird-of-paradise but was elevated to the status of a full species in 2017, and reinforced in 2018 based on its striking black plumage and behavioral differences, especially visible in the courting male.

References

  1. "Paradisaeidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  2. Scholes, 2008
  3. Mackay, 1990
  4. Schodde, Richard (July 2010). "Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol. 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows.— Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliott , and David Christie , Eds. 2009. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. 893 pp., 51 color plates, 655 color photos, 484 distribution maps. ISBN 9788496553507. Cloth binding. $267.00". The Auk. 127 (3): 714–717. doi: 10.1525/auk.2010.127.3.714 . ISSN   0004-8038. S2CID   198155470.