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Lesser bird-of-paradise

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Lesser bird-of-paradise
Male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paradisaeidae
Genus: Paradisaea
Species:
P. minor
Binomial name
Paradisaea minor
Shaw, 1809

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

Description

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The lesser bird-of-paradise is medium-sized, up to 32 cm (13 in), maroon-brown with a yellow crown and brownish-yellow upper back. The male has a dark emerald-green throat, a pair of long tail-wires and is adorned with ornamental flank plumes which are deep yellow at their base and fade outwards into white. The female is a maroon bird with a dark-brown head and whitish underparts. Further study is required,[2] but it seems likely that birds-of-paradise also possess toxins in their skins, derived from their insect prey.

It resembles the larger greater bird-of-paradise, but the male of that species has a dark chest, whereas the female is entirely brown (no whitish underparts).

Breeding

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The males are polygamous, and perform courtship displays in leks. The female usually lays two pinkish eggs with dark markings in a nest in a tree high above ground. Its diet consists mainly of fruits and insects.

Male at the Bronx Zoo

Distribution

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The lesser bird-of-paradise is distributed throughout forests of northern New Guinea, and the nearby islands of Misool and Yapen. Widespread and common throughout its large range, the lesser bird-of-paradise is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.

References

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  1. ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Paradisaea minor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22706245A130413448. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22706245A130413448.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Venomous Animals of the World, Steve Backshall; 2007, New Holland Publishers (UK), Ltd.
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