Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

iTwelve-wired Bird of Paradise

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Paradisaeidae
Genus:	Seleucidis Lesson, 1835
Species:	S. melanoleucus

Binomial name

Seleucidis melanoleucus
Daudin, 1800

The Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, Seleucidis melanoleucus is a medium-sized, up to 33cm long, velvet black and yellow bird of paradise. The male has a red iris, long black bill and rich yellow plumes on each side of breast with six blackish wire-like comes out from it. The female is a brown bird with black barred buff below. The feet are strong, large clawed and pink in color.

A sole representative of monotypic genus Seleucidis, the Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise is a bird of lowland forests. The male displays in exposed vertical perch with extended breast shield, yellow ornamental plumes and the "wires" bend forward along the body. The diet consists mainly of fruits and arthropods.

Widely distributed throughout New Guinea and Salawati Island of Irian Jaya, the Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2004). Seleucidis melanoleucus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 1 November 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern