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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing birds of paradise. These birds were named so because they’re so unique and extravagant they couldn’t come from anywhere else but paradise on earth! At least, that’s what 16th century European scientists thought anyway. The first bird of paradise specimens studied by English speakers had their feet and wings removed, so it was believed for centuries they just floated on their fancy feathers! Now, of course, we know they have feet - just like hummingbirds! From the time of their discovery in the English speaking world until today, however, birds of paradise are considered some of the most magnificent birds alive. Oh and by the way, the bird of paradise flower was named after these birds; it received its name because it looked similar to the already named birds.

Female birds of paradise may not give many hints to their fabulous status. These birds are an excellent example of sexual dimorphism which is when the males and females of a species appear different. While the ladies are usually brown with only slight colors, males go all out in their appearances. These bold colors, flashy displays, and serenading calls are all in an effort to impress female birds of paradise. It’s the lady who makes all the mating decisions; if a male isn’t up to her standards, she’ll move on. This is why male birds of paradise typically begin breeding later in life than females - they have to wait for their fancy feathers to grow in. These birds are related to corvids and range in size from about the size of a crow down to a scrub jay. Their feathers, however, can make them seem much larger than life!

There are somewhere around 40 species of birds of paradise. They’re not all commonly known as birds of paradise with other names like riflebirds and sicklebills, but they’re all part of the same taxonomic family. Birds of paradise are found mostly on the large island of New Guinea as well as surrounding smaller islands. A few species occur in eastern Australia, as well. Birds of paradise generally live in forests from the forest floor to the canopy though some species may be found on forest edges, in human settlements and gardens, and even open areas - as long as there are enough trees. The largest part of a bird of paradise’s diet is usually fruits. It’s believed that birds of paradise act as seed dispersers in their habitats. The seeds pass through the bird’s digestive system and are expelled with the bird’s poop at which point the seeds may begin growing in a place they otherwise wouldn’t have reached on their own! Along with fruits, birds of paradise also take insects and other arthropods. They may occasionally eat small reptiles and mammals, too.

Adult birds of paradise have no natural predators, but chicks and eggs may be predated by other birds, like hawks, as well as snakes. There have been some observations of bird of paradise parents including shed snake skins in their nests to help scare predators away from their babies. Bird of paradise nests may be found from the ground to tree tops and for a majority of species the female does all the rearing, though some species have males helping out, too. These species are monogamous, meaning they stick with the same partner, while the majority of species are polygamous, meaning they’ll have multiple partners. Male birds of paradise will clear out display areas by flinging leaves and twigs to keep things tidy, and then show off all their feathers and sounds for any females watching the show. Female birds of paradise reach reproductive maturity around two years of age but males may take more than double that to grow in their fancy feathers, meaning they don’t usually get to breed until later in life. In captivity, birds of paradise have lived up to three decades, but how long they live in the wild is unknown. The greatest threat to birds of paradise is habitat loss as they are now protected from non-native hunting.

For more facts on birds of paradise, check out the links in the description. Thank you to John-o, Trevon, and Hyena for today’s request! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!