Fantastic flights

Societies of New Guinea often use bird-of-paradise plume   in their  dress and rituals , and the plumes were popular in Europe in past centuries as adornment for ladies'  millinery . Hunting for plumes and habitat destruction have reduced some species to endangered status; habitat destruction due to  deforestation  is now the predominant threat The  ribbon-tailed astrapia , also known as  Shaw Mayer's astrapia  ( Astrapia mayeri ), is a species of bird-of-paradise. The ribbon-tailed astrapia is distributed and endemic to subalpine forests in western part of the central highlands of Papua New Guinea. Like many other ornamental birds-of-paradise, the male is polygamous. The ribbon-tailed astrapia is the most recently discovered bird-of-paradise. Due to habitat loss and being hunted for its plumes, the Ribbon-tailed Astrapia is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES. The long tails of male birds ad

Plumage  variation between the sexes is closely related to breeding system. The manucodes and paradise-crow, which are socially monogamous, are sexually  monomorphic . So are the two species of  Paradigalla , which are polygamous. All these species have generally black plumage with varying amounts of green and blue  iridescence .  The female plumage of the dimorphic species is typically drab to blend in with their habitat, unlike the bright attractive colours found on the males. Younger males of these species have female-like plumage, and sexual maturity takes a long time, with the full adult plumage not being obtained for up to seven years. This affords the younger males the protection from predators of more subdued colours, and also reduces hostility from adult males. The  glossy-mantled manucode  ( Manucodia ater ) is a species of bird-of-paradise.  The glossy-mantled manucode was the first bird of paradise encountered by the French naturalist René-Primevère Lesson, the f

For many years the birds-of-paradise were treated as being closely related to the  bowerbirds . Today while both are treated as being part of the Australasian lineage  Corvida , the two are now thought to be only distantly related. The closest evolutionary relatives of the birds-of-paradise are the crow and jay family  Corvidae , the monarch flycatchers  Monarchidae  and the Australian mudnesters  Struthideidae . The  western  or  Arfak parotia  ( Parotia sefilata ), is a medium-sized, approximately 33 cm long,  bird-of-paradise  with a medium-length tail. Like other birds-of-paradise, the western parotia is  sexually dimorphic . The male has black plumage with an  iridescent   structurally coloured  golden-green breast shield and  triangular  silver feathers on its crown. It is adorned with elongated black plumes at the sides of the breast and three  erectile   spatulate  head wires behind each eye. As with most member in the  family , the female is unadorned and has bro

The  blue bird-of-paradise  ( Paradisaea rudolphi ) is a medium-sized  bird-of-paradise . Regarded  by some ornithologists as the loveliest of all birds, the blue bird-of-paradise was discovered by Carl Hunstein in 1884. The scientific name commemorates the ill-fated Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria.   Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range, small population size and, in some areas, by hunting for its highly prized plumes, the rare blue bird-of-paradise is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES. The species is approximately 30 cm long, black with a bluish-white bill, dark brown iris, grey legs, broken white eye-ring and bright blue wings. The male is adorned with violet blue and cinnamon flank plumes and two long ribbon-like tail feathers. The female has a chestnut brown below. The male is polygamous and performs a breathtaking courtship display. But unlike all other  birds of Paradise species , he pe

Most are distinguished by striking colors and bright plumage of yellow, blue, scarlet, and green. These colors distinguish them as some of the world's most dramatic and attractive birds. Males often sport vibrant feathered ruffs or amazingly elongated feathers, which are known as wires or streamers. Some species have enormous head plumes or other distinctive ornaments, such as breast shields or head fans. The  red bird-of-paradise  ( Paradisaea rubra , also  cendrawasih merah ), is a bird-of-paradise in the genus  Paradisaea , family  Paradisaeidae . Large, up to 33 cm long, brown and yellow with a dark brown  iris , grey legs and yellow  bill . The male has an emerald green face, a pair of elongated black  corkscrew -shaped tail wires, dark green feather pompoms above each eye and a train of glossy crimson red plumes with whitish tips at either side of the breast. The male measures up to 72 cm long, including the ornamental red plumes that require at least six years to ful

The majority of species are found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and eastern Australia. The family has 42 species in 15 genera. The members of this family are perhaps best known for the plumage of the males of the sexually dimorphic species (the majority), in particular the highly elongated and elaborate feathers extending from the beak, wings, tail or head. For the most part they are confined to dense rainforest habitat. 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. The  Wilson's bird-of-paradise  ( Diphyllodes respublica ) is a species of passerine bir d of the family Paradisaeidae. The first footage of the Wilson's bird-of-paradise ever to be filmed was recorded in 1996 by David Attenborough for the BBCdocumentary Attenborough in Paradise. He did so by dropping leaves on the forest floor, which irritated the bird into clear