Red Bird-of-Paradise
Paradisaea rubra
A large bird of lowland forests on the northwest islands. Both sexes have yellow bill, chest and back of the head. Male has 2 long black tail streamers, chestnut wings and red plumes which he spreads in his display. Face is bottle green in males and black in females. Doesn’t overlap with any other similar birds-of-paradise. Male gives an often repeated, nasal “caw!”.
Identification
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 fully attain. The female is similar but smaller in size, with a dark brown face and has no ornamental red plumes. The diet consists mainly of fruits, berries and arthropods.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Paradisaea rubra
- Authority
- Daudin, 1800
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paradisaeidae
- Genus
- Paradisaea
Range and habitat
An Indonesian endemic, the red bird-of-paradise is distributed to lowland rainforests of Waigeo and Batanta islands of Raja Ampat, West Papua. This species shares its home with another bird-of-paradise, the Wilson's bird-of-paradise. Hybridisation between these two species has not been recorded.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Rufous-tailed Flycatcher
Myiarchus validus
A medium-sized woodland species that prefers moist forests where it typically “flycatches” from perches in thick foliage beneath the canopy. Note its bright rusty tail and the extensive rust on its wings. The Sad Flycatcher is much smaller-bodied and smaller-billed and lacks the rusty tail and wings. The similar Stolid Flycatcher is also smaller-billed and smaller-bodied with more limited rust on tail and wings. Rufous-tailed Flycatcher has a darker gray head and chest than either Sad or Stolid Flycatchers. Vocalizations include a slightly squeaky, emphatic “or-will,” a whistled “pi-pi-pi-pi-pee-pee-pee-pee,” and a harsh squeaky “pew” given in series, plus brief emphatic twitters.
Oahu Amakihi
Chlorodrepanis flava
A small Hawaiian honeycreeper of forests on Oahu. Males are bright yellow and females are grayer with two whitish wingbars. The bill is thicker and more curved than that of Warbling White-eye. Occurs in native and non-native forests, parks, and some suburban areas near mountains. Moves quickly among leaves and small branches in the understory and forest canopy in search of nectar, insects, and fruit. Song is a trill that does not change in pitch or speed. Call is a nasal “chee.”
Mountain Chat
Myrmecocichla monticola
A medium-sized wheatear that is variable in plumage, but always has a diagnostic white rump and outer tail feathers in both sexes. The male has both gray and black morphs with white shoulder patches and black wings; gray morphs often have a gray crown. The female is sooty brown. Pairs and small groups perch on promontories in open shrubby hilly areas, stony patches on level ground, and around stone buildings, dropping onto the ground to forage. The similar White-headed Black-Chat resembles male dark-morph Mountain Wheatear, but has a black tail and rump and occupies broadleaf woodland.
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