Red bird-of-paradise facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Red bird-of-paradise |
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|---|---|
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| Male (at Central Park Zoo, New York, NY, United States) | |
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| Female (at Jurong BirdPark, Singapore) | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Paradisaea
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| Species: |
rubra
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The red bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea rubra), also known as the cendrawasih merah, is a beautiful bird. It belongs to a group of birds called Paradisaea and is part of the Paradisaeidae family, which are famous for their amazing feathers.
Contents
What Does the Red Bird-of-Paradise Look Like?
This bird is quite large, growing up to 33 cm long. It has a mix of brown and yellow feathers. Its eyes are dark brown, its legs are grey, and its bill (beak) is yellow.
Male vs. Female Birds
The male red bird-of-paradise is very special! It has a bright emerald green face. It also has two long, black, corkscrew-shaped wires coming from its tail. Above each eye, it has dark green feather "pompoms." The most striking feature is a long train of shiny crimson red feathers with whitish tips on each side of its chest. These amazing red feathers can grow up to 72 cm long! It takes at least six years for a male to grow them fully.
The female bird looks similar to the male but is smaller. She has a dark brown face and does not have the long, fancy red feathers or tail wires that the male has.
What Do They Eat?
Red birds-of-paradise mainly eat fruits and berries. They also enjoy eating small insects and other arthropods (like spiders).
Where Do Red Birds-of-Paradise Live?
These birds are found only in Indonesia. This means they are an endemic species to that country. They live in the lowland rainforests on two islands: Waigeo and Batanta. These islands are part of Raja Ampat in West Papua.
Sharing Their Home
The red bird-of-paradise shares its rainforest home with another type of bird-of-paradise, the Wilson's bird-of-paradise. Even though they live in the same areas, scientists have not seen these two species mating and having mixed babies.
Images for kids
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Red bird-of-paradise on a tree in Raja Ampat, Papua, 2015
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Red bird-of-paradise on a tree in Raja Ampat, Papua, 2015
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Two red birds-of-paradise on a tree in Raja Ampat, Papua, 2015
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Red bird-of-paradise on a tree in Papua New Guinea, 2013
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Red bird-of-paradise on a tree in Papua New Guinea, 2013
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A young red bird-of-paradise, 2009
