The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes.For reasons of camouflage plumage of the females typically blends well with their habitat, unlike the bright attractive colors found on the males. The diet of the birds-of-paradise is dominated by fruit and arthropods. The centre of bird-of-paradise diversity is the large island of New Guinea; all but two genera are found in New Guinea.
The males' vibrant plumage is utilized to attract females throughout their breeding season. The females are uninteresting brown with scattered brown specks. Courting males will strut around on a specific perch or a cleared spacing on the forest floor for hours, showing off their magnificent feathers of assorted shapes and sizes. once mating, the females will explode and make a nest on their own, taking care of the young unaided.
Some birds of paradise have any long tail and flank feathers trailing behind as they fly whereas some are adorned with vibrant feathers around the neck which could be erected to form ruffs.
Naturally, when explorers from various countries came to the land, the brightly coloured birds caught their attention. many were brought back to their homeland and also the Bird of Paradise feathers soon became a fashion statement. The trade in skins and feathers of the birds-of-paradise has been going on for two thousand years. The birds have been of considerable interest to Western collectors, ornithologists and writers as well. A number of species are threatened by hunting and habitat loss.
Leave A Comment EmoticonEmoticon