Wahnes's Parotia

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iWahnes's Parotia
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paradisaeidae
Genus: Parotia
Species: P. wahnesi
Binomial name
Parotia wahnesi
Rothschild, 1906

The Wahnes's Parotia, Parotia wahnesi is a medium-sized, up to 43cm long, black bird of paradise with an iridescent yellow green breast shield, elongated black plumes, three erectile spatule head wires behind each eye, coppery bronzed nasal tuft feathers and long, wedge-shaped tail feathers. Female is a rich brown bird with blackish head.

It inhabits and endemic to the mountain forests of Huon Peninsula and Adelbert Mountains, northeast Papua New Guinea. The diet consists mainly of fruits and arthropods. Male is polygamous and performs spectacular courtship display in the forest ground.

This species was discovered and named after the German collector Carl Wahnes in 1906.

Ongoing habitat lost on this restricted range species, the Wahnes's Parotia is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.

[edit] References

  • BirdLife International (2004). Parotia wahnesi. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable

[edit] External links