Huon Astrapia
Encyclopedia
The Huon Astrapia, Astrapia rothschildi, is a medium-sized, approximately 69 cm long, bird of paradise. The male has black plumage with a glossy blue crown, dark olive-green back, an iridescent
purple-green elongated nape
feathers, and a very long and broad purplish black tail. The female is smaller than male, and has blackish-brown plumage with pale barring on its abdomen.
This little known bird of paradise is distributed and endemic
to the mountain forests of Huon Peninsula
, Papua New Guinea
. Its diet consists mainly of fruits and seeds.
The scientific name commemorates the British ornithologist Lord Walter Rothschild
.
A common species in its limited habitat range, the Huon Astrapia is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
Iridescence
Iridescence is generally known as the property of certain surfaces which appear to change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes...
purple-green elongated nape
Nape
The nape is the back of the neck. In technical anatomical/medical terminology, the nape is referred to by the word nucha, which also gives the adjective corresponding to "nape" in English, "nuchal"....
feathers, and a very long and broad purplish black tail. The female is smaller than male, and has blackish-brown plumage with pale barring on its abdomen.
This little known bird of paradise is distributed and endemic
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to the mountain forests of Huon Peninsula
Huon Peninsula
Huon Peninsula is a large rugged peninsula on the island of New Guinea in Morobe Province, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec who discovered it along with his personal assistant and porter, Henry Ole. The peninsula is dominated by the steep...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. Its diet consists mainly of fruits and seeds.
The scientific name commemorates the British ornithologist Lord Walter Rothschild
Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild FRS , a scion of the Rothschild family, was a British banker, politician, and zoologist.-Biography:...
.
A common species in its limited habitat range, the Huon Astrapia is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
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...
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.