Goldie's bird-of-paradise
| Goldie's Bird-of-paradise | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Subkingdom | Bilateria |
| Branch | Deuterostomia |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Sub-phylum | Vertebrata |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata |
| Class Information | |
| Superclass | Tetrapoda |
| Class | Aves |
| Sub-class | Neornithes |
| Infra-class | Neoaves |
| Order Information | |
| Superorder | Passerimorphae |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Sub-order | Passeri |
| Family Information | |
| Superfamily | Passeroidea |
| Family | Paradisaeidae |
| Tribe Information | |
| Tribe | Paradisaeini |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Paradisaea |
| Species Information | |
| Species | P. decora |
| Population statistics | |
| Population | 650 est. (2014) |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable[1] |
Goldie's bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea decora) is a bird of the family Paradisaeidae, and inhabits a pair of islands off the coast of Papua New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean.
Description
Goldie's bird-of-paradise is crow-sized, about 13 inches long. The male is adorned with iridescent plumage: a yellow head and back, green throat, and a lavender-grey breast. Long ornamental plumes are on the flanks, buff-brown in color with a tinge of yellow, and are used in courtship displays. Females are ordinary in color, olive above and reddish-brown below.
Threats
Goldie's bird-of-paradise is restricted to the D'Entrecasteaux archipelago east of Papua New Guinea, specifically within several dense forested mountains on the islands of Fergusson and Normanby. Once established by the ICUN as "near-threatened", it is believed the overall number of the birds has always been low, never more than 1,000 individuals. Logging has taken place on the islands for years, and it is known that the birds are tolerant of secondary growth forests as a result of man's activities. However, logging has taken a toll on the bird's habitat; on Normanby subsistence farming and mining are also taking place, and a number of studies have indicated a decline in population, as much as 20% during the period 1997-2007.[2]
