Bare-headed bird of paradise

Bare-headed bird of paradise

The naked-headed bird of paradise has a very characteristic appearance. This is especially true of the male. It has an unfeathered blue head with black stripes, a yellow band behind the head and a red-coloured back. In addition, the breast is green and the legs are coloured blue. The male also has two rounded blue tail feathers. All this gives this bird of paradise an unmistakably colourful appearance. The female, on the other hand, is comparatively inconspicuous. It is brownish in colour and has no curved tail feathers. It only shares the naked blue head with the male, to which this species owes its name. As with almost all bird of paradise species, there is a pronounced sexual dimorphism, i.e. females and males look very different.

Nutrition

This bird of paradise feeds mainly on fruit and arthropods such as insects and spiders.

Distribution

The habitat of the naked-headed bird of paradise is hilly forests and mountain forests from an altitude of 300 metres to around 1200 metres. It is only found on the small islands of Waigeo and Batanta to the north-west of New Guinea.

The breeding season is between May and October. During this time, the males look for a small clearing or similar as a territory to perform their courtship dance. The female is responsible for building the nest and breeding. Nothing more is known about the breeding behaviour of this little-studied bird.

Due to its very small range, the naked-headed bird of paradise is very susceptible to disturbance of any kind. This is why its population is categorised as almost endangered. Nothing is known about the exact number of surviving specimens. However, it can be assumed that the increasing loss of habitat is causing the population to decline rapidly. Fortunately, at higher altitudes, the naked-headed bird of paradise seems to be safe from the influence of humans.