Huon Astrapia

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Huon Astrapia
Astrapia rothschildi by Ellis Rowan, 1917.
Astrapia rothschildi by Ellis Rowan, 1917.
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paradisaeidae
Genus: Astrapia
Species: A. rothschildi
Binomial name
Astrapia rothschildi
Förster, 1906

The Huon Astrapia, Astrapia rothschildi is a medium-sized, approximately 69cm long, bird of paradise. The male has black plumage with a glossed blue crown, dark olive-green back, an iridescence purple-green elongated nape feathers, and a very long and broad purplish black tail. The female is smaller than male, and has blackish-brown plumage with pale barring on its abdomen.

This little known bird of paradise is distributed and endemic to the mountain forests of Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea. The diet consists mainly of fruits and seeds.

The scientific name commemorates the British ornithologist Lord Walter Rothschild.

A common species in its limited habitat range, the Huon Astrapia is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[1] It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2004). Astrapia rothschildi. 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

[edit] External links