Wilson's Bird-of-paradise

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Wilson's Bird-of-paradise

Male
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Paradisaeidae
Genus:	Cicinnurus
Species:	C. respublica
Binomial name
*Cicinnurus respublica* Bonaparte, 1850
Synonyms
Diphyllodes respublica

The Wilson's Bird-of-paradise (Cicinnurus respublica) is a small, up to 21 cm (8.3 in) long, passerine bird of the Paradisaeidae family. The male is a red and black bird-of-paradise, with a yellow mantle on its neck, light green mouth, rich blue feet and two curved violet tail feathers. The head is naked blue, with black double cross pattern on it. The female is a brownish bird with bare blue crown.

In the field, the blue bare skin on the crown of the bird's head is so vivid that it is clearly visible by night; the deep scarlet back and velvet green breast are lush, the curlicue tail gleaming bright silver.

An Indonesian endemic, the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise is distributed to the hill and lowland rainforests of Waigeo and Batanta Islands off West Papua. The diet consists mainly of fruits and small insects.

The controversial scientific name of this species was given by Charles Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon's nephew and a republican idealist, who described the bird from a badly damaged trade specimen purchased by British ornithologist Edward Wilson. In doing so, he beat John Cassin, who wanted to name the bird in honor of Wilson, by several months. Thirteen years later, in 1863, the German zoologist Heinrich Agathon Bernstein discovered the home grounds of the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise in Waigeo Island.

Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range and exploitation, the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.

The first footage of the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise ever to be filmed was recorded in 1996 by David Attenborough for the BBC documentary Attenborough in Paradise. He did so by dropping leaves on the forest floor, which irritated the bird into clearing them away.

References

↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Cicinnurus respublica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.

External links

Birds-of-paradise (family: Paradisaeidae)

Genera and species

Genus	Species

Lycocorax	Paradise-crow

Manucodia	Glossy-mantled Manucode Jobi Manucode, Crinkle-collared Manucode Curl-crested Manucode Trumpet Manucode

Paradigalla	Long-tailed Paradigalla Short-tailed Paradigalla

Astrapia	Arfak Astrapia Splendid Astrapia Ribbon-tailed Astrapia Princess Stephanie's Astrapia Huon Astrapia

Parotia	Western Parotia Queen Carola's Parotia Bronze Parotia Lawes's Parotia Eastern Parotia Wahnes's Parotia

Pteridophora	King of Saxony Bird-of-paradise

Lophorina	Superb Bird-of-paradise

Ptiloris	Magnificent Riflebird Growling Riflebird Paradise Riflebird Victoria's Riflebird

Epimachus	Black Sicklebill Brown Sicklebill

Drepanornis	Black-billed Sicklebill Pale-billed Sicklebill

Cicinnurus	Magnificent Bird-of-paradise Wilson's Bird-of-paradise King Bird-of-paradise

Semioptera	Standardwing

Seleucidis	Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise

Paradisaea	Lesser Bird-of-paradise Greater Bird-of-paradise Raggiana Bird-of-paradise Goldie's Bird-of-paradise Red Bird-of-paradise Emperor Bird-of-paradise Blue Bird-of-paradise

Incomplete list of likely hybrid birds-of-paradise

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