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The lesser bird-of-paradise (''Paradisaea minor'') is a bird-of-paradise in the genus '' Paradisaea''.


Description

The lesser bird-of-paradise is medium-sized, up to 32 cm-long, maroon-brown with a yellow crown and brownish-yellow upper back. The male has a dark emerald-green throat, a pair of long tail-wires and is adorned with ornamental flank plumes which are deep yellow at their base and fade outwards into white. The female is a maroon bird with a dark-brown head and whitish underparts. Further study is required,Venomous Animals of the World, Steve Backshall; 2007, New Holland Publishers (UK), Ltd. but it seems likely that birds-of-paradise also possess toxins in their skins, derived from their insect prey. It resembles the larger
greater bird-of-paradise The greater bird-of-paradise (''Paradisaea apoda'') is a bird-of-paradise in the genus ''Paradisaea''. Carl Linnaeus named the species ''Paradisaea apoda'', or "legless bird-of-paradise", because early trade-skins to reach Europe were prepared w ...
, but the male of that species has a dark chest, whereas the female is entirely brown (no whitish underparts).


Breeding

The males are polygamous, and perform courtship displays in leks. The female usually lays two pinkish eggs with dark markings in a nest in a tree high above ground. Its diet consists mainly of fruits and insects.


Distribution

The lesser bird-of-paradise is distributed throughout forests of northern New Guinea, and the nearby islands of Misool and Yapen. Widespread and common throughout its large range, the lesser bird-of-paradise is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.


References


External links


BirdLife Species Factsheet

Lesser bird-of-paradise at WWF
{{Taxonbar, from=Q332621 lesser bird-of-paradise Birds of New Guinea lesser bird-of-paradise Taxa named by George Shaw