Meet the psychedelic smiley face
SUPERB BIRD-OF-PARADISE DESCRIPTION
Birds of paradise are famed for their
elaborate plumage and fascinating, often bizarre, courtship displays, and the
superb bird-of-paradise (Lophorina superba) is no exception. As in other
species, the male and the female superb bird-of-paradise differ greatly in
appearance, with only the male possessing the spectacular ornamental plumage
while the female is rather drab and cryptically coloured1.
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| Superb bird-of-paradise (Lophorina superba) |
The feathers on the upper breast of the
male superb bird-of-paradise, known as the "breast shield", are a particularly
striking iridescent, metallic greenish-blue, and can be erected as part of the
courtship display. The head is a velvety jet black, although the scale-like
crown feathers are a metallic green-blue. The rest of the plumage is
black, with variable sheens of purple, copper, magenta and green appearing in
places. Long, black feathers on the back of the neck can be erected to form a
cape during courtship. While the bill of the male superb bird-of-paradise is
black, the inside of the mouth is bright yellow to green.
Much duller in comparison, the plumage of
the female superb bird-of-paradise is a mixture of browns and greys, with black
barring on the underside. The female is also much smaller than the male,
with noticeably shorter wings. While the juvenile superb bird-of-paradise
resembles the female in appearance, its plumage is softer and fluffier, and the
feathers of the crown are darker. Immature males can be distinguished by their
longer wings, and the gradual appearance of their brighter, adult plumage.
The call of the male superb
bird-of-paradise is generally a loud series of screeching « shre » or
« sheeee » notes, and is used to attract females to the male’s
territory.
There are currently five recognised subspecies
of the superb bird-of-paradise, which vary slightly in appearance and also in
their location : Lophorina superba superba, Lophorina superba niedda, Lophorina
superba feminina, Lophorina superba latipennis and Lophorina superba
minor.
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| Superb bird-of-paradise (Lophorina superba) |
SUPERB BIRD-OF-PARADISE BIOLOGY
One of the most striking behaviours of the
superb bird-of-paradise is the extraordinary courtship display of the male.
Courtship displays have been observed between August and January, and the male
establishes and displays from a territory. The display begins with
the male in a slightly crouched position, before alternately flashing the
iridescent breast shield or flicking up the black cape feathers, while watching
the female.
After this initial display, the male fully
expands the spectacular breast shield and flicks the cape feathers forward,
over and around the sides of the head. The result is a complete circle of
black, broken only by the iridescent breast shield feathers and eye spots. With
the feathers in this position, the male then begins an animated dance around
the female. During this dance, the male superb bird-of-paradise may also
produce a series of clicking noises created by sudden movement of the wings.
The male superb bird-of-paradise is polygamous and
may mate with many females. The female alone is responsible for building the
nest and caring for the young. Nests have been observed to be cup-shaped, and
constructed from plant material, including fern fronds.
A clutch can contain 1
to 2 eggs, and in captivity the female incubates these for 18 to 19 days, with
the young fledging 18 days after hatching.
Hopping between branches and trees, the
superb bird-of-paradise forages by probing among moss and other epiphytic2 growth
in search of food. The diet of the superb bird-of-paradise varies with seasonal
availability, although it feeds mainly on invertebrates and fruit.
SUPERB BIRD-OF-PARADISE RANGE
The superb bird-of-paradise is found only
on the island of New Guinea, in both Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
SUPERB BIRD-OF-PARADISE HABITAT
Inhabiting montane3 rainforest
and forest edges, the superb bird-of-paradise can be found at elevations
between 1 000 and 2 300 meters above sea level. However, it most commonly
occurs between elevations of 1 650 and 1 900 meters. The preferred territory of the male is steeply sloping mountain
ridges.
The superb bird-of-paradise is also known
to inhabit disturbed forest, as well as forest patches between cultivated areas
such as gardens.
NOTES :
1. Cryptic colouration : Colouration that
makes animals difficult to detect against their background, so serving to
reduce predation. The colouration may provide camouflage against a background,
break up the outline of the body, or both.
2. Epiphyte : A plant that grows on another
plant, typically a tree, using it for physical support but not drawing
nourishment from it.
3. Montane : Of mountains, or growing in
mountains.
LIENS CONNEXES :
Dieu a de l'humour 1
Dieu a de l'humour 2
