- King Bird-of-paradise
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King Bird-of-paradise male Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordate Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Paradisaeidae Genus: Cicinnurus Species: C. regius Binomial name Cicinnurus regius
(Linnaeus, 1758)The King Bird-of-paradise, Cicinnurus regius is a small, approximately 16 cm long, passerine bird of the Paradisaeidae (Bird-of-paradise) family. The male is a crimson and white with bright blue feet and green-tipped fan-like plumes on its shoulder. The two elongated tail wires are decorated with emerald green disk feathers on its tip. The unadorned female is a brown bird with barring below.
The King Bird-of-paradise is distributed throughout lowland forests of New Guinea and nearby islands. This so-called "living gem" is the smallest and most vividly colored among birds of paradise. The diet consists mainly of fruits and arthropods.
An extraordinary display is performed by the male with a series of tail swinging, fluffing of its abdomen white feathers that makes the bird look like a cottonball, and acrobatic pendulum displays.
Widespread and a common species throughout its large habitat range, the King Bird-of-paradise is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
References
- BirdLife International (2009). "Cicinnurus regius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 3.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/{{{id}}}. Retrieved 11 Mar 2011. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
External links
Birds-of-paradise (family: Paradisaeidae) Genera and species LycocoraxParadise-crowArfak Astrapia • Splendid Astrapia • Ribbon-tailed Astrapia • Princess Stephanie's Astrapia • Huon AstrapiaWestern Parotia • Queen Carola's Parotia • Bronze Parotia • Lawes's Parotia • Eastern Parotia • Wahnes's ParotiaPteridophoraKing of Saxony Bird-of-paradiseLophorinaSuperb Bird-of-paradiseSemiopteraStandardwingSeleucidisTwelve-wired Bird-of-paradiseLesser Bird-of-paradise • Greater Bird-of-paradise • Raggiana Bird-of-paradise • Goldie's Bird-of-paradise • Red Bird-of-paradise • Emperor Bird-of-paradise • Blue Bird-of-paradiseIncomplete list of likely hybrids Astrapian Sicklebill • Barnes' Astrapia • Bensbach's Bird of Paradise • Blood's Bird of Paradise • Duivenbode's Bird of Paradise • Duivenbode's Riflebird • Duivenbode's Six-wired Bird of Paradise • Elliot's Bird of Paradise • False-lobed Astrapia • Gilliard's Bird of Paradise • King of Holland's Bird of Paradise • Lupton's Bird of Paradise • Lyre-tailed King Bird of Paradise • Mantou's Riflebird • Maria's Bird of Paradise • Mysterious Bird of Bobairo • Rothschild's Bird of Paradise • Rothschild's Lobe-billed Bird of Paradise • Ruys' Bird of Paradise • Schodde's Bird of Paradise • Sharpe's Lobe-billed Parotia • Stresemann's Bird of Paradise • Wilhelmina's Bird of Paradise • Wonderful Bird of ParadiseThis Paradisaeidae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.