Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise
Paradisaea raggiana
A large bird of foothill forest and edge. The national bird of PNG. Both sexes have a black chest and yellow eyes. Males have red or orange plumes, depending on the race, which are raised above the back during the display, in which he leans forward and flicks his wings. Overlaps slightly with Greater, Lesser and Emperor birds-of-paradise but Raggiana male has reddish rather than white plumes. Raggiana female is distinguished by its combination of yellow eye and yellow back of the head. Male gives a repeated, nasal squawk, typical of the group.
Identification
The Raggiana bird-of-paradise is 34 centimetres (13 in) long. Its overall colour is a maroon-brown, with a greyish-blue bill, yellow iris and greyish-brown feet. The male has a yellow crown, dark emerald-green throat and yellow collar between the throat and its blackish upper breast feathers. It is adorned with a pair of long black tail wires and large flank plumes. The male has the long tail feather while the female does not. The female is a comparatively drab maroonish-brown bird. The ornamental flank plumes vary from red to orange in color, depending on subspecies. The nominate subspecies, P. r. raggiana, has the deepest red plumes, while the subspecies P. r. augustavictoriae of northeast New Guinea, also known as the Empress of Germany's bird of paradise, has apricot-orange plumes.
Taxonomy
Genus: Paradisaea; Family: Paradisaeidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Paradisaea raggiana
- Authority
- Sclater, PL, 1873
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paradisaeidae
- Genus
- Paradisaea
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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Medium-sized, typical nightjar with bold pale spots on the back. Both sexes have a broad pale patch on the outer tail that is white in males and buff in females. Found in a variety of woodland and savanna habitats that are usually moist and often near water. Song is an extraordinarily long, dry trill that changes in speed and pitch. Most similar to Swamp Nightjar, but has smaller pale patches in the outer tail and lacks a blackish cheek; male has a white trailing edge to the wing in flight. Also similar to Montane Nightjar but found in different habitat.
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