Golden-fronted Bowerbird
Encyclopedia
The Golden-fronted Bowerbird, Amblyornis flavifrons is a medium-sized, approximately 24 cm long, brown bowerbird
. The male is rufous brown with an elongated golden crest extending from its golden forehead, dark grey feet and buffish yellow underparts. The female is an unadorned olive brown bird.
An Indonesian endemic, the male builds a tower-like "maypole-type" bower decorated with colored fruit.
Originally described in 1895 based on trade skins, this elusive bird remained a mystery for nearly a hundred years, until January 31, 1981
when the American ornithologist Jared Diamond
discovered the home ground of the Golden-fronted Bowerbird at the Foja Mountains
in the Papua province
of Indonesia
.
In December 2005, led by Bruce Beehler
, an international team of eleven scientists from the United States
, Australia
and Indonesia
traveled to the unexplored areas of Foja Mountains and took the first photographs of the bird http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/02/photogalleries/newguinea/photo3.html.
The Golden-fronted Bowerbird is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
.
Bowerbird
Bowerbirds make up the bird family Ptilonorhynchidae. The family has 20 species in eight genera. These are medium-sized passerines, ranging from the Golden Bowerbird to the Great Bowerbird...
. The male is rufous brown with an elongated golden crest extending from its golden forehead, dark grey feet and buffish yellow underparts. The female is an unadorned olive brown bird.
An Indonesian endemic, the male builds a tower-like "maypole-type" bower decorated with colored fruit.
Originally described in 1895 based on trade skins, this elusive bird remained a mystery for nearly a hundred years, until January 31, 1981
January 1981
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - DecemberThe following events occurred in January 1981.-January 1, 1981 :...
when the American ornithologist Jared Diamond
Jared Diamond
Jared Mason Diamond is an American scientist and author whose work draws from a variety of fields. He is currently Professor of Geography and Physiology at UCLA...
discovered the home ground of the Golden-fronted Bowerbird at the Foja Mountains
Foja Mountains
The Foja Mountains are located just north of the Mamberamo river basin in Papua, Indonesia. The mountains rise to , and have 3,000 square kilometres of old growth tropical rainforest in the interior part of the range...
in the Papua province
Papua (Indonesian province)
Papua comprises most of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands. Its capital is Jayapura. It's the largest and easternmost province of Indonesia. The province originally covered the entire western half of New Guinea...
of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
In December 2005, led by Bruce Beehler
Bruce Beehler
Dr. Bruce Beehler is an ornithologist and vice-president of Conservation International's Melanesia Center for Biodiversity Conservation ....
, an international team of eleven scientists from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
traveled to the unexplored areas of Foja Mountains and took the first photographs of the bird http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/02/photogalleries/newguinea/photo3.html.
The Golden-fronted Bowerbird is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
.