| Vogelkop lophorina | |
|---|---|
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| Male Greater Lophorina displaying | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Paradisaeidae |
| Genus: | Lophorina |
| Species: | L. superba |
| Binomial name | |
| Lophorina superba (Pennant, 1781) | |
| Synonyms | |
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TheVogelkop lophorina (Lophorina superba), formerly part of thesuperb bird-of-paradise complex, is a species ofpasserine bird in thebird-of-paradise familyParadisaeidae. It is found in montane northwestNew Guinea.
The Vogelkop lophorina was given thebinomial nameParadisea superba in 1781 in a book which has the German naturalistJohann Reinhold Forster on the title page. The binomial name is accompanied by a cite to a hand coloured plate engraved byFrançois-Nicolas Martinet that had been included inEdme-Louis Daubenton'sPlanches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle.[2][3] The authorship of the text is disputed. The book originated as a project by the Welsh naturalistThomas Pennant and it is uncertain how much was contributed by Forster and how much by Pennant.[4][5] The specimen depicted in the plate had been acquired in 1772 by French naturalistPierre Sonnerat when it had been gifted to him on the small island ofGebe. The island lies betweenNorth Maluku and New Guinea. On his return to Paris he presented his specimens to theCabinet du Roi.[6][7]
The Vogelkop lophorina was formerly thenominate subspecies of the "superb bird-of-paradise" species complex.[8][9][7] In 2017 the Swedish ornithologist Martin Irestedt and collaborators suggested that the superb bird-of-paradise should be split into three species. They also proposed aneotype from theKobowre Mountains inNew Guinea for the no longer extanttype specimen forParadisea superba. The original type specimen forsuperba had been assumed to come from theBird's Head Peninsula (known as Vogelkop in Dutch and Indonesian).[10] Although, the split was generally supported by other ornithologists, the designation of the neotype and the resulting assignment of subspecies were strongly disputed.[7][11][12][13] The taxonomy adopted here rejects the designation of the neotype but splits the superb bird-of-paradise into three species.[14]
Two subspecies are recognised:[14]
It is a small, approximately 26 cm (about 10 inches) long, (passerine) bird. The male is black with an iridescent green crown, blue-green breast cover, and a long velvety black erectile cape covering his back. The female is a reddish-brown bird with brownish-barred buff below. The young is similar to the female. The Vogelkop lophorina is adimorphic species.[15]
The Vogelkop lophorina is distributed throughout therainforests ofNew Guinea. It inhabits most commonly inrain forests or forest edges ofIndonesia andPapua New Guinea.[16] They can also be found inhabiting mountainous habitats of the forests in New Guinea.
The Vogelkop lophorina is also usually found on top of the trees that reside in the rain forests.[17]
The Vogelkop lophorina travels across the trees in the forest to catch its prey, which can vary depending on seasonal availability of food.[16] The Vogelkop lophorina has not only been known to eat fruits and insects, but also has been spotted preying on larger animals such as frogs, reptiles, and other small birds.[17] They can sometimes be seen foraging for food on the grounds of the forest for insects. Males are considered to be territorial, as they defend land as small as 1.2 ha. Within that land, they forage for fruits and insects.[18][19]
Known predators of the superb bird-of-paradise include birds of prey andsnakes.[17]
The Vogelkop lophorina forms its nest on top of trees using soft material that they find around the forest such as leaves. When reproducing, it usually produces 1-3 eggs within a nest. It takes about 16–22 days for chicks to hatch from the eggs. After that, chicks will be able to live on their own within 16–30 days, leaving their nest and becoming independent.[19] Male superb birds-of-paradise tend to take about two years longer to mature compared to the females, and it takes 4–7 years for them to develop their feathers for theircourtship displays.[17]
The species has an unusually low population of females, and competition among males for mates is intensely fierce. This has led the species to have one of the most elaborate courtship displays in the avian world. There are two main stages of courtship display. The first display, known as theinitial display activity, involves a series of relatively simple behaviours. The initial display is then followed by a more elaborate courtship show, known as thehigh-intensity display.[20] After carefully and meticulously preparing a "dance floor" (even scrubbing the dirt or branch smooth with leaves), the male first attracts a female with a loud call. After the curious female approaches, his folded black feather cape and blue-green chest feathers shield spring upward and spread widely and symmetrically around his head, instantly transforming the frontal view of the male bird into a spectacularellipse-shaped creature that rhythmically snaps his tail feathers against each other, similar to how snapping fingers work, while hopping in frantic circles around the female. The average female rejects 15-20 potential suitors before consenting to mate. The show that males put on to attract females can be a long process that takes up many hours in a day.[21] These species arepolygynous and usually will mate with more than one female.[15]
Although heavily hunted for its plumes it is evaluated as Least Concern on theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[1] It is listed on Appendix II ofCITES.
