“Living gem”
The king bird-of-paradise (Cicinnurus regius ) is a passerine bird of the Paradisaeidae (Bird-of-paradise) family. It is considered the only member of the genus Cicinnurus, although the subgenus Diphyllodes is now subsumed under Cicinnurus.
The king bird-of-paradise is a common and wide-ranging species, distributed throughout lowland forests of New Guinea and western satellite islands. Some populations range quite high into the hills and lower mountains, and these are poorly known as yet.
The first captive breeding of this species was by Sten Bergman of Sweden in 1958. He was awarded a commemorative medal by the Foreign Bird League to mark this achievement.
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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SolitaryFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe king bird-of-paradise, this so-called "living gem", is the smallest and the most vividly colored of the birds-of-paradise. Males are recognizable by their brilliant red coloring and their two long, ornamental wire-like tail feather shafts, and the circular swirl of feathers of bright green on the ends. The underside is white, and there is a green stripe across the chest. A male also features a black spot above each eye. The legs and feet of both males and females are blue; the color of the female is much less bright, with her back, head, and throat being olive-brown and her chest a variegated buff. The lifespan of this species is unknown. Generally a bird-of-paradise lives 5-8 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity.
King birds-of-paradise live on the mainland of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and on the surrounding islands, including Aru, Salawati, Missol, and Yapen, in lowland rainforests, secondary forests and forest edges.
There is little information available about this species’ social behavior. Birds-of-paradise tend to be solitary birds and only come together to mate.
The King bird-of-paradise is mainly frugivore, it eats mainly fruits and arthropods.
These birds are polygynous, and after mating they go on to attract the next female. A female will incubate the eggs and feed the chicks by herself. Males will display on their own at exploded leks or at traditional arboreal courts in groups. Displays are from October to January. The male displays by perching upright on a branch, vibrating his wings and then holding his body parallel to the branch, spreading his pectoral feathers and raising his tail over his head while dancing. He then swings his tail and then his body side to side and finally hangs upside down on the branch with his wings folded, swinging like a pendulum. Males that do not succeed in impressing the females through their displays may possibly never mate at all. March to October is the breeding season. The females will build and attend their nests alone in the cavities of lower trees. The incubation period is about 17 days and the nestling period is for about 14 days.
King birds-of-paradise are abundant and are not considered as threatened. However the skins and bright feathers of the male are sometimes sought by the native men of New Guinea.
According to IUCN, the King bird-of-paradise is common and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today remain stable.