The glossy-mantled manucode (''Manucodia ater'') is a species of

bird-of-paradise The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species are found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. The family has 44 species in 17 genera. The members of thi ...

. The glossy-mantled manucode was the first bird of paradise encountered by the French naturalist René-Primevère Lesson, the first westerner to see live wild birds of paradise.

Subspecies

* ''Manucodia ater ater'' (mainland New Guinea) * ''Manucodia ater subalter'' (West Papuan Islands, Aru Is, and SE peninsula of New Guinea) Handbook of the Birds of the World
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Distribution

It is widely distributed throughout the lowlands of

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

and nearby islands. Widespread and common throughout its large range, the glossy-mantled manucode is evaluated as least concern on the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

. It is listed on Appendix II of

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

Habitat

The ''glossy-mantled manucode'' live in lowland rainforest, riverine and monsoon forests, forest edge, swamp-forest and woodlands.

Description

The glossy-mantled manucode is medium-sized, around 42 cm long, glossed green, blue and purple black with a red

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

, black

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

, long graduated tail and somewhat elongated upper breast and neck feathers. Both sexes are similar. The female is a slightly smaller than the male. In appearance, the glossy-mantled manucode resembles and is difficult to distinguished from its nearest relatives, the crinkle-collared and

jobi manucode The Jobi manucode (''Manucodia jobiensis'') is a species of crow-like bird-of-paradise. The Jobi manucode is distributed in lowland forests of Jobi Island and northern New Guinea. The diet consists mainly of fruits and arthropods. Like other ma ...

Biology

These birds have diurnal habits. They tend to move alone or in pairs, rarely in small groups: They spend most of their time looking for food among the branches of trees, ready to hide themselves in the thick vegetation when disturbed. They are not particularly timid, but it is easier to hear their calls or flights rather than observe them directly. The diet consists mainly of fruits, figs and

arthropods Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...

Bibliography

* Beehler, B. M. (1989), « The birds of paradise », ''Scientific American'', vol.261, p. 116-123. * Clench, Mary H. 1978. Trachael Elongation in Birds-of-Paradise. ''Condor'' 80 (4): 423–430. * Frith, C. B. & Frith, D. W. (2009), « Family Paradisaeidae (Birds of Paradise) », ''In'' del Hoyo, J. Elliott, A. & Christie, D. ''Handbook of the Birds of the World. Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows'', vol.14, p. 404-459. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. * Frith, C. B.; Beehler, B. M. 1998. The birds of paradise. Oxford University Press, Inc., New York. * Gilliard, E. T. (1969), ''Birds of paradise and Bowerbirds'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson, New York. * Ottaviani, M. (2012), ''Les Oiseaux de Paradis – Histoire Naturelle et photographies'', 320 pages. Editions Prin, France. * Sibley, C. G.; Monroe, B. L. 1990. Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world. Yale University Press, New Haven, USA.

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet

glossy-mantled manucode The glossy-mantled manucode (''Manucodia ater'') is a species of bird-of-paradise. The glossy-mantled manucode was the first bird of paradise encountered by the French naturalist René-Primevère Lesson, the first westerner to see live wild bird ...

Birds of New Guinea

Taxa named by René Lesson {{Paradisaeidae-stub