The Vogelkop lophorina (Lophorina superba), formerly part of the superb bird-of-paradise complex, is a species of passerine bird in the bird-of-paradise family Paradisaeidae. It is found in montane northwest New Guinea.
| Vogelkop lophorina | |
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| Male Greater Lophorina displaying | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Paradisaeidae |
| Genus: | Lophorina |
| Species: | L. superba
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| Binomial name | |
| Lophorina superba (Pennant, 1781)
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| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy
editThe Vogelkop lophorina was given the binomial name Paradisea superba in 1781 in a book which has the German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster on the title page. The binomial name is accompanied by a cite to a hand coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet that had been included in Edme-Louis Daubenton's Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle.[2][3] The authorship of the text is disputed. The book originated as a project by the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant and it is uncertain how much was contributed by Forster and how much by Pennant.[4][5] The specimen depicted in the plate had been acquired in 1772 by French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat when it had been gifted to him on the small island of Gebe. The island lies between North Maluku and New Guinea. On his return to Paris he presented his specimens to the Cabinet du Roi.[6][7]
The Vogelkop lophorina was formerly the nominate subspecies of the "superb bird-of-paradise" species complex.[8][9][7] In 2017 the Swedish ornithologist Martin Irestedt and collaborators suggested that the superb bird-of-paradise should be split into three species. They also proposed a neotype from the Kobowre Mountains in New Guinea for the no longer extant type specimen for Paradisea superba. The original type specimen for superba had been assumed to come from the Bird's Head Peninsula (known as Vogelkop in Dutch and Indonesian).[10] Although, the split was generally supported by other ornithologists, the designation of the neotype and the resulting assignment of subspecies were strongly disputed.[7][11][12][13] The taxonomy adopted here rejects the designation of the neotype but splits the superb bird-of-paradise into three species.[14]
Two subspecies are recognised:[14]
- L. s. superba (Pennant, 1781) – Bird south Head Peninsula (west New Guinea)
- L. s. niedda Mayr, 1930 – Wandammen Peninsula (Bird south Neck, northwest New Guinea) (previously crescent-caped lophorina)
Description
editIt is a small, approximately 26 cm (about 10 inches) long, (passerine) bird. The male is black with an iridescent green crown, blue-green breast cover, and a long velvety black erectile cape covering his back. The female is a reddish-brown bird with brownish-barred buff below. The young is similar to the female. The Vogelkop lophorina is a dimorphic species.[15]
Distribution and habitat
editThe Vogelkop lophorina is distributed throughout the rainforests of New Guinea. It inhabits most commonly in rain forests or forest edges of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.[16] They can also be found inhabiting mountainous habitats of the forests in New Guinea.
The Vogelkop lophorina is also usually found on top of the trees that reside in the rain forests.[17]
Feeding habits
editThe Vogelkop lophorina travels across the trees in the forest to catch its prey, which can vary depending on seasonal availability of food.[16] The Vogelkop lophorina has not only been known to eat fruits and insects, but also has been spotted preying on larger animals such as frogs, reptiles, and other small birds.[17] They can sometimes be seen foraging for food on the grounds of the forest for insects. Male Superba are considered to be territorial, as they defend land as small as 1.2 ha. Within that land, they forage for fruits and insects.[18][19]
Predators
editKnown predators of the superb bird-of-paradise include birds of prey and snakes.[17]
Courtship display
edit
The species has an unusually low population of females, and competition among males for mates is intensely fierce. This has led the species to have one of the most elaborate courtship displays in the avian world. There are two main stages of courtship display. The first display, known as the initial display activity, involves a series of relatively simple behaviours. The initial display is then followed by a more elaborate courtship show, known as the high-intensity display.[20] After carefully and meticulously preparing a "dance floor" (even scrubbing the dirt or branch smooth with leaves), the male first attracts a female with a loud call. After the curious female approaches, his folded black feather cape and blue-green chest feathers shield spring upward and spread widely and symmetrically around his head, instantly transforming the frontal view of the male bird into a spectacular ellipse-shaped creature that rhythmically snaps his tail feathers against each other, similar to how snapping fingers work, while hopping in frantic circles around the female. The average female rejects 15-20 potential suitors before consenting to mate. The show that males put on to attract females can be a long process that takes up many hours in a day.[21] These species are polygynous and usually will mate with more than one female.[15]
Breeding and chick behavior
editThe Vogelkop lophorina forms their nest on top of trees using soft material that they find around the forest such as leaves. When reproducing, they usually produce from 1-3 eggs within a nest. It takes about 16–22 days for the eggs to hatch and for the chicks to be born. After that, chicks will be able to live on their own within 16–30 days, leaving their nest and becoming independent.[19] Male superb birds-of-paradise tend to take about two years longer for them to mature compared to the females. Also, it will take about 4–7 years for males to develop their feathers for their courtship displays.[17]
Status
editAlthough heavily hunted for its plumes it is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[1] It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
References
edit- ^ a b BirdLife International (2020). "Lophorina superba". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T181524349A182248687. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T181524349A182248687.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Forster, Johann Reinhold (1781). "Specimen Faunulae Indicae". Indische Zoologie oder systematische Beschreibungen seltener und unbekannter Thiere aus Indien (in Latin and German). Halle, Germany: Johann Jacob Gebauer. pp. 39–42 [40].
- ^ Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de; Martinet, François-Nicolas; Daubenton, Edme-Louis; Daubenton, Louis-Jean-Marie (1765–1783). "Oiseau de Paradis de la Nouvelle Guinée, dit la Superbe". Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle. Vol. 7. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. Plate 632.
- ^ Dickinson, E.C.; Cheke, A.S. (2015). "The authorship of the names of two birds from Réunion". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 135 (2): 337–341.
- ^ Schodde, R.; Christidis, L.; Batalha-Filho, H.; Ericson, P.G.P.; Irestedt, M. (2021). "Why neotypification of Lophorina superba (Pennant, 1781) (Aves: Paradisaeidae) is justified—and necessary". Zootaxa. 4951 (2): 304–320. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4951.2.5. PMID 33903404.
- ^ Sonnerat, Pierre (1776). Voyage à la Nouvelle Guinée (in French). Paris: Chez Ruault. p. 193.
- ^ a b c Elliott, A.; Collar, N.J.; Bruce, M.D.; Kirwan, G.M. (2020). "The nomenclature of Lophorina (Aves: Paradisaeidae), with remarks on the type and type locality of L. superba". Zootaxa. 4732 (1): 57–78. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4732.1.2. PMID 32230271.
- ^ Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1962). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 15. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 194.
- ^ Dickinson, E.C.; Christidis, L., eds. (2014). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Vol. 2: Passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-9568611-2-2.
- ^ Irestedt, M.; Batalha-Filho, H.; Ericson, P.G.P.; Christidis, L.; Schodde, R. (2017). "Phylogeny, biogeography and taxonomic consequences in a bird-of-paradise species complex, Lophorina–Ptiloris (Aves: Paradisaeidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 181 (2): 439–470. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx004.
- ^ Schodde, R.; Christidis, L.; Batalha-Filho, H.; Ericson, P.G.P.; Irestedt, M. (2021). "Why neotypification of Lophorina superba (Pennant, 1781) (Aves: Paradisaeidae) is justified—and necessary". Zootaxa. 4951 (2): 304–320. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4951.2.5. PMID 33903404.
- ^ Elliott, A.; Collar, N.J.; Bruce, M.D.; Kirwan, G.M. (2022). "Why the long-held identity of Paradisea [= Lophorina] superba J.R. Forster, 1781 is correct and should be maintained, with designation of a valid neotype" (PDF). Avian Systematics. 1 (1): 1–16.
- ^ Elliott, A.; Collar, N.J.; Bruce, M.D.; Kirwan, G.M. (2023). "Case 3865 – Proposed conservation of the original and long-established identity of Paradisea superba J.R. Forster, 1781 (currently Lophorina superba; Aves, Paradisaeidae) by setting aside an inappropriate neotype designation". The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 80 (1): 46–52. doi:10.21805/bzn.v80.a013.
- ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Crows, mudnesters, melampittas, Ifrit, birds-of-paradise". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ a b Coyne A., Jerry; Kay H., Emily; Pruett-Jones, Steven (August 2007). "The Genetic Basis of Sexual Dimorphism of Birds". Evolution. 62 (1): 214–219. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2007.00254.x. PMID 18005159. S2CID 11490688.
- ^ a b "Superb bird-of-paradise videos, photos and facts - Lophorina superba". Arkive. Archived from the original on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
- ^ a b c d "Bird of Paradise | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants". animals.sandiegozoo.org. Archived from the original on 2021-10-16. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
- ^ D.W. Frith & C.B. Frith (1988) Courtship display and mating of the Superb Bird of Paradise Lophorina superba. Emu - Austral Ornithology, 88:3, 183-188, DOI: 10.1071/MU9880183
- ^ a b "Bird of Paradise". Animals. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
- ^ Peer Review #2 of "Distinctive courtship phenotype of the Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise Lophorina niedda Mayr, 1930 confirms new species status (v0.1)" (Thesis). 2018-04-16. doi:10.7287/peerj.4621v0.1/reviews/2.
- ^ "Birds of Paradise | National Geographic". 2010-04-11. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
External links
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