Thursday, 23 August 2012

King Birds of Paradise


The King bird of Paradise is said to be the most vividly coloured of its species.

Looks
Male King birds of Paradise are small birds, with scarlet bodies and white underparts.  Males have blue feet and long, green-tipped curled tail wires. The females, however, are not nearly as striking, with dull brown feathers and barred underparts, though they have the same bright feet as the males. 

Breeding
The courtship of the male is an elaborate display of feather fluffing and tail swinging. Some may compete at display grounds called elks.
Once they have mated, the pair makes the nest together and cares for the chicks. The incubation period of the eggs is 17 to 21 days. After 17 to 30 days the chicks are ready to leave the nest.

Feeding
The King bird of Paradise eats mostly fruit and insects.

Habitat
These birds live in lowland forests in New Guinea, as well as on close by islands.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing about this gorgeous bird! I'd love to see in its natural habitat, however, I'm on the wrong side of the planet for that. :) Have you seen this bird?

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  2. I'm glad you liked my post! :) Sadly, I haven't seen it but it would be great to see it in the wild! :) :) :)
    Thanks!

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