Blue bird of paradise

Blue bird of paradise

The blue bird of paradise(Paradisaea rudolphi) is a medium-sized representative of the bird of paradise family (Paradisaeidae) with a body length of 30 cm.

Nutrition

The habitat of the blue bird of paradise is rainforests and mountain forests at an altitude of between 1100 m and 2000 m. There it feeds mainly on fruits and berries, most of which it finds in the treetops of the forest. It also supplements its diet with animal food, such as insects, spiders and lizards.

Distribution

This beautiful bird of paradise is only found in the south-east of New Guinea.

The blue bird of paradise has no specific breeding season and can breed all year round. It is also polygynous, which means that the males mate with several females. During courtship, the male tries to attract the female by singing loudly. When a female appears, the male hangs upside down on a branch or similar, usually at a height of 1-3 metres, and presents his mating plumage. After mating, the female is solely responsible for building the nest and rearing the young. The nest is built at a height of 4 m to 19 m in a bush or tree from leaves and twigs. The female usually only lays a single egg, which she aggressively defends against other birds. After about 18 days of incubation, the young birds hatch.

Due to its small distribution area, the population of the blue paradise bird is already severely restricted. In the past, hunting for the beautiful feathers of the blue bird of paradise was its greatest threat. Nowadays, however, habitat loss due to deforestation plays a much greater role. The population is now estimated at less than 10,000 individuals and is therefore categorised as slightly endangered.