- Eastern Parotia
Taxobox
name = Eastern Parotia
status = LC
status_system = iucn3.1
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Aves
ordo =Passeriformes
familia =Paradisaeidae
genus = "Parotia "
species = "P. helenae"
binomial = "Parotia helenae"
binomial_authority = De Vis,1891 The Eastern Parotia ("Parotia helenae") is also known as Helena's Parotia. Approximately 27cm long, it is a medium-sized
passerine of the birds of paradise family,Paradisaeidae . The Eastern Parotia is distributed and endemic to mountain forests of southeastPapua New Guinea .Its appearance resembles
Lawes's Parotia , of which it is sometimes considered asubspecies . It differs in the male frontal crest's and the female's dorsal plumages colors. The male has an iridescent golden green breast shield, elongated black plumes, three erectile spatule head wires behind each blue iris eye and golden brownnasal tuft feathers. The female is smaller than the male, with brown plumage and black barred below.As do other "
Parotia ", the male ispolygamous and performs spectacular courtship display in the forest ground. The clutch contains 1, maybe occasionally 2 eggs; one that was studied was 38.4 x 27.8 mm in size (Mackay 1990). It eats mainly fruit, seeds andarthropods .The scientific name honors Princess Helena Augusta Victoria, the third daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
A common species throughout its limited range, the Eastern Parotia is evaluated as Least Concern on the
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II ofCITES .References
*|year=2004|id=51198|title=Parotia helenae|downloaded=12 May 2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
* (1990): The Egg of Wahnes' Parotia "Parotia wahnesi" (Paradisaeidae). "Emu" 90(4): 269. [http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=MU9900269.pdf PDF fulltext]External links
* [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=5824&m=0 BirdLife Species Factsheet]
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