Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise

Male members of the Bird-of-paradise family are known for having strange plumage and delightful courtship displays. Today's bird is no exception.

Found in New Guinea and Indonesia, the Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise is a sexually dimorphic species where the female is a reddish brown with dark bars, and where the male possesses some goofy feathers in which to attract a mate.

Males have dark feathers on the back and chest, complete with green tips. Their tail plumage is bright yellow and fluffy, and has a dozen thin, wire-like feathers that curl outward from it (giving the species its common name).

When the breeding season rolls around, the male wants to attract as many ladies as possible. He finds a perch, and from there will poke at prospective mates. He'll show them his bright feathers, and will hop from foot to foot while swiping the females with his wire-feathers. If the female is impressed, they mate, and she goes off to build her nest and incubate her chicks alone. Breeding season can last half a year or longer, depending on the location, so the males have a lot of dancing to do!

IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : New Guinea, Indonesia
Size : Body Length up to 13in (33cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Paradisaeidae -- Genus : Seleucidis -- Species : S. melanoleucus
Image : Peter Tan

Comments

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km) from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status : Not Listed Location : Cent

Animal A Day!

Search This Blog