You are here
Species
Paradisaea apoda Linnaeus, 1758
Nomenclature
-
Family: ParadisaeidaeGenus: Paradisaea
Media
SUMMARY
Male nominate race has lores, forehead, ear-coverts, malar area, chin and throat iridescent yellowish emerald-green, nostril covered by feathers; rest of head, including nape and hindneck, pale orangy yellow, glossed iridescent silver; entire upperparts. including upperwing and tail, maroon-brown, washed darker brown on mantle, back and lesser upperwing-coverts, slight orangy-yellow wash on outer edges of greater coverts; central rectrices grossly elongated, reduced to finely tapering blackish wires lacking webs except at bases, where same colour as tail; upper breast "cushion" blackish-brown, grading at lower border to dark brown and then to mid-brown on belly and medium pinkish-brown on thighs, vent and undertail-coverts; grossly elongated filamental flank plumes bright yellow at bases, streaked maroon, fading distally to dirty white; iris yellow; bill chalky pale bluish-grey; legs purplish grey-brown. Female is smaller than male, notably in wing length, with central rectrices shorter, narrower and more pointed than rest; entire head and upper breast dark brown, upperparts as on male but darker and lacking orangy-yellow wash, underparts similar to those of male. Juvenile undescribed; immature male like adult female; subadult male variable, like adult female with few feathers of adult male plumage intruding, initially about head, to like adult male with few feathers of female-like plumage remaining; males may take at least five or six years to acquire adult plumage, but study required; male progressively acquires longer central rectrices with age. Race novaeguineae differs from nominate in having paler upper breast, more maroon general coloration, and smaller size.