Western Parotia
Parotia sefilata
A large bird of mid-montane forest canopy. Male is mainly black with a white patch on the forehead, bronzy-scaled chest and 6 antennalike feathers projecting from the back of the head. Note the blue eye. The female is dark brown above with, heavily barred underparts, black head and white moustache stripe. The male has an elaborate dance at a terrestrial display court. The only parotia in range. Female similar to Vogelkop Lophorhina but Western Parotia female is larger with a moustache stripe and blue eyes. Vocalizations include parrotlike squawking and a loud nasal “raak!”.
Identification
Like other birds-of-paradise, the western parotia is sexually dimorphic. The male has jet black plumage, with striking iridescent scale-like golden-green breast shields and triangular silver feathers on its crown. The occipital plumes (or head wires) arise from above and behind the eyes, with three long erectile wire-like plumes with smaller spatulate tips, above and behind each eye. As with most members of the family, the female is unadorned and has brown plumage. The species is similar to Lawes's parotia (Parotia lawesii).
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Parotia sefilata
- Authority
- (Pennant, 1781)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paradisaeidae
- Genus
- Parotia
Range and habitat
The western parotia is found only in the mountain forests of Vogelkop and the Wandammen Peninsula of Western New Guinea.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The species is polygynous. Males presumably perform a series of courtship displays on terrestrial courts in exploded leks. <p>In courtship display, the male performs a ballerina-like dance with its elongated black plumes spread skirt-like, right below the iridescent breast shield. During the spectacular dance, he shakes his head and neck rapidly to show the brilliance of his inverted silver triangle-shaped head adornment to attending females. <p>The nest is built and attended by the female alone; the breeding season is largely unknown.<p>The diet consists mainly of fruits such as figs, and arthropods.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
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