Fun Birds Of Paradise Facts For Kids
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Are you searching for some information about Birds of Paradise? Then dive into this article.
Birds of Paradise refer to a family of birds that are exotic birds and are found mostly in the tropical forest of Oceania and in South Asia. These birds reside in a tree and if you search any island which is in the southern Pacific Ocean you will find these birds in abundance.
The shape of the male birds is bigger and greater than their female counterparts. The Superb Bird of Paradise is one of the most common and known birds of this family.
The shape of a nest of these birds on a tree is based on their food habit and differs in different species. The Bird of Paradise is a very big family belonging to the class of Aves.
There are over 15 genera under the family of Paradisaeidae. These 15 genera have around 42 species of birds.
If you want to know more about Birds of Paradise, check out the rest of the article for more wonderful and mind-blowing information about these lovely and special birds.
If you find our content interesting and would love to read more such related articles about animals and animal information, then you can also check out common buzzard and tawny eagle facts.
Birds of Paradise Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a Bird of Paradise?
A Bird of Paradise refers to a group of birds that belongs to the family of Paradisaeidae.
What class of animal does a Bird of Paradise belong to?
The Bird of Paradise belongs to the class of Aves.
How many Birds of Paradise are there in the world?
The Birds of Paradise is a big family of birds which consists of 42 species and 15 genera.
Owing to this huge number there is no concrete data as to how many are there in the world. As some of the species are threatened, their number can be comparably less while those that are not threatened are significantly higher.
Few species like the King Bird of Paradise, Superb Bird of Paradise, or the Greater Bird of Paradise are found in abundance in the jungles of the island of south and east Asia.
Where does a Bird of Paradise live?
The Birds of Paradise love staying out in the wild and thus are found in the rainforests and in the subalpine woodlands.
What is a Bird of Paradise's habitat?
All the species of the Birds of Paradise are extremely suitable for living in the hot and humid climate and as a result, the rain forests and moss forests are their living habitat. This forest provides them suitable food and shelter.
Only a few species of these birds can live in the dry savanna woodlands.
Both the male and female birds stay in a nest which they build in a tree. One of the most important usages of a nest is not only to provide shelter but also the nest protects the eggs or little nestlings after breeding from predators.
Who do Birds of Paradise live with?
After hatching the young Birds of Paradise lives with their parents for a couple of weeks. After that, they fly away to lead their life on their own.
How long does a Bird of Paradise live?
The Birds of Paradise have an average life span of around five to eight years. Some of the birds can live well beyond eight years since few develop their spectacular plumes after nearly seven years.
How do they reproduce?
When it comes to mating, the Birds of Paradise are extremely active. They follow a process called courtship rituals which is common in birds.
Courtship is different among species, as monogamous and polygynous courtships are different. The former is relatively simple as it consists of vocalizing, chasing, and posturing in canopy foliage.
However, polygynous is more complex for mating. The males present their nuptial plumes to the females along with a splendid display of bright and colorful plumes. These birds are solitary nesters which means they build their own nests and don't share them with any other species of bird.
The eggs are usually pinkish in color with brown stripes and an elliptical shape. The nesting period ranges from 14-30 days.
It is usually on the sixth day that the nestling opens its eyes. The majority of and the most productive breeding occurs during the months of January and August which also coincides with the most abundance of food in form of tropical fruits.
What is their conservation status?
Since there are 40 species of Birds of Paradise, each species has its own conservation status. Some are Vulnerable like Epimachus fastuosus which is the Black sicklebill and Macgregoria pulchra which is the Macgregor’s Bird of Paradise. A few of the Near Threatened species are the ribbon-tailed astrapia i.e Astrapia mayeri and Emperor Birds of Paradise.
Birds of Paradise Fun Facts
What do Birds of Paradise look like?
Birds of Paradise are extremely colorful birds. The majority of the colors of their bodies are bright in nature. They have long tails, some can be longer than their entire body size. Some of these birds also showcase bare pigmented skin.
They have small beaks which are exclusively used for hunting insects and food picking. The males usually have very colorful plumes which they use for the rituals of courtship in attracting females. As there are so many types of Birds of Paradise, their appearance can vary too.
How cute are they?
Birds of Paradise are extremely cute. Owing to their bright and colorful and beautiful body, plumage, and feathers in the wings they are extremely fancied by humans. Their colorful body as a result has been a curse for them as they are constantly sought by bird catchers and hunters.
How do they communicate?
Birds of Paradise are extremely vocal birds, though their vocal tones can be different from one another. Some may be louder while others are softer.
However, they don't shy from making any types of sounds. Be it for courtship or a sound of an alarm or to announce their territory, they make noises. Some birds make clicking sounds while others hum.
How big is a Bird of Paradise?
Birds of Paradise vary in size. The average length of these birds lies in the range of 5.9-17 in (15-44 cm). In this family of birds, the males are usually larger in size than the females.
How fast can a Bird of Paradise fly?
Since Birds of Paradise live in tropical forests which are filled with a variety of animals, it can be safely assumed that these birds are excellent fliers. Hunting in tropical forests is a tough job and requires speed, technique, and precision to catch their prey.
The same is also required to flee from predators. However, no data is present which determines the speed of these birds, but it can be safely assumed that these birds are speedy fliers.
How much does a Bird of Paradise weigh?
Since the family consists of 40 species with each distinctly different from one another, the weights of birds from each species are also different. The average weight lies in the range of 0.09-0.94 lb (50-430 g ). In this case, the males are much heavier than their female counterparts.
What are their male and female names of the species?
The male birds and female birds are characteristically different but the Birds of Paradise have no such distinct names for each gender.
What would you call a baby Bird of Paradise?
Young or baby Birds of Paradise are referred to as nestlings.
What do they eat?
The diet of Birds of Paradise is a long list that ranges from insects to plants, and thus as a result they fall under the category of omnivores. The forest is their natural habitat and they obtain their food too from the forest.
The majority of their food consists of fruits, small insects, nectar from flowers.
The type of their diet too defines their preferable staying place on trees. Those that consume the majority of insects live on branches near the ground while those species that eat fruits the most live in the canopy of trees.
Are they dangerous?
No, Birds of Paradise are not dangerous and pose no threat to humans. Since these birds are small in size none of the Birds of Paradise species are harmful to humans.
Would they make a good pet?
The Birds of Paradise are beautiful, especially the Raggiana Bird of Paradise. However, they are wild birds that live in the jungles and in the tropical forests, so they mustn't be troubled or kept as pets, as wild animals deserve their freedom in the wild.
Moreover, these birds are all exotic birds like the King Bird of Paradise and Greater Bird of Paradise so it is advised not to keep these birds as pets in your home.
Did you know...
Though the average size of these birds is around 5.9 - 17 in (15 -44 cm), the males variant of the black sicklebill is the longest in the family among all of the other species. Owing to its gigantic tail, it measures around 43 in or 110 cm.
The males of these species of birds have a brightly colored interior mouth which plays a vital role in attracting the female.
The tails of the males of all the species of the bird under this family are longer and larger than those of the females as the males are more active and energetic as compared to a female bird of these species.
In the flags and stamps of Papua New Guinea, the male Raggiana Bird of Paradise can be found.
Not all Birds of Paradise are brightly colored.
The Birds of Paradise survival techniques
Birds of Paradise often make holes in trees that serve as a shelter from their predators. They also conduct a wide range of calls that can be used to attract females to mate or to alarm others of impending danger. They usually do that by making noises in form of ruffling feathers, beating wings, or vocalizing.
Symbolism of Bird of Paradise
As the name suggests, the Bird of Paradise represents freedom. The beautiful colors of the plumage on the wings and on the tail of these birds like the Birds of Paradise Wichita also correspond to a thing of beauty.
The Birds of Paradise species also symbolize something that is not of our planet earth, but something that belongs in paradise. Since these birds are so bright and colorful it seems right to refer to them as beings of paradise.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including secretary bird, or great green macaw.
You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Bird of Paradise coloring pages.
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management
Moumita DuttaBachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management
A content writer and editor with a passion for sports, Moumita has honed her skills in producing compelling match reports and stories about sporting heroes. She holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Calcutta University, alongside a postgraduate diploma in Sports Management.
Bachelor of Arts specializing in Political Science and Sociology
Spandana KantamBachelor of Arts specializing in Political Science and Sociology
Spandana holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Acharya Nagarjuna University. She has a passion for writing and enjoys reading crime and thriller novels while listening to RnB music in her free time.
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