King of Saxony Bird of Paradise

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iKing of Saxony Bird of Paradise

Pteridophora alberti, male - AMNH

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Paradisaeidae
Genus:	Pteridophora
Species:	P. alberti

Binomial name

Pteridophora alberti
Meyer, 1894

The King of Saxony Bird of Paradise, Pteridophora alberti is a small, up to 22cm long, black and yellow bird of paradise with a dark brown iris, black bill, brownish grey legs and aqua green mouth. The male has two remarkably long, scalloped, enamel blue brow plumes that can be erected at the bird’s will. So bizarre are its ornamental head plumes that, when the first specimen was brought to Europe, this bird was thought to be a fake. The unadorned female is a greyish brown bird with barred below.

The King of Saxony Bird of Paradise is distributed to the cloud forests of New Guinea. Its diet consists mainly of fruits, berries and arthropods.

The name commemorates the German King Albert I of Saxony.

Although males of this species are hunted for its highly prized long plumes, used by natives for ceremonial purposes, it is a common species throughout its large range. The King of Saxony Bird of Paradise is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

In 1996, David Attenborough filmed the first ever footage of the mating ritual of the King of Saxony Bird of Paradise.

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2004). Pteridophora alberti. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern