Greater lophorina

The greater lophorina, superb-bird-of-paradise, or greater superb bird-of-paradise (Lophorina superba) is a species of the Paradisaeidae (bird-of-paradise) family. It was considered the sole species in the genus until in 2017 it was recognised that there were three species (L. superba, Lophorina minor, and Lophorina niedda).

Greater lophorina
Early illustration of Lophorina superba by John Gould
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paradisaeidae
Genus: Lophorina
Species:
L. superba
Binomial name
Lophorina superba
(Pennant, 1781)

Description

It is a small, approximately 26 cm 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 greater lophorina is a dimorphic species.[2]

Male nominate race at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center.

Courtship display
Lophorina superba, male. Museum specimen

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.[3] 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 breast shield springs upward and spreads 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.[4] These species are polygynous and usually will mate with more than one female.[2]

Distribution and habitat

The greater lophorina is distributed throughout rain forests of New Guinea. It inhabits most commonly in rain forests or forest edges of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.[5] They can also be found inhabiting mountainous habitats of the forests in New Guinea.

The greater lophorina is also usually found on top of the trees that reside in the rain forests.[6]

Feeding habits

The greater lophorina travels across the trees in the forest to catch its prey which can vary depending on seasonal availability of food.[5] The greater lophorina has not only been known to eat fruits and insects, but also have been spotted preying on larger animals such as frogs, reptiles, and other small birds.[6] They can sometimes be seen foraging 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. [7] [8]

Adult Male perched.

Predators

Known predators of the superb bird-of-paradise include birds of prey and snakes.[6]

Reproduction and chick behavior

The greater 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.[8] Male superb bird's-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.[6]

Status

Although heavily hunted for its plumes, the greater lophorina is one of the most common and widespread birds of paradise in the forests of New Guinea, and is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[1] It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.

Subspecies
  • Lophorina superba connectens- considered a synonym of L. s. latipennis.
  • Lophorina superba feminina
  • Lophorina superba latipennis
  • Lophorina superba pseudoparotia- now found to be a hybrid between present species and Parotia carolae.[2]
  • Lophorina superba sphinx- validity disputed; not enough information provided to prove this as a separate subspecies.
  • Lophorina superba superba
  • Lophorina superba minor- generally considered a subspecies to present species; specific level is greatly disputed.

The crescent-caped lophorina was considered to be a subspecies (L. s. niedda) until 2018, as was lesser lophorina (L. s. minor), though minor is disputed as a full species and is generally considered conspecific with present species.[9]

  • Female nominate race.
  • Male minor race.
  • Male feminina race.
  • Male latipennis race.
  • Early conception of a male next to a male King Bird-of-Paradise (Cicinnurus regius).
  • Early conception of a male perched underneath a male King of Saxony Bird-of-Paradise (Pteridophora alberti).
  • Illustration of a male (front).
  • Illustration of a male (back).
  • Female feminina race.
  • An illustration depcting early conceptions of a male Lophorina superba, as well as a Paradisea species (perhaps P. raggiana, due to the light colored bar on the wing), a Parotia species (most likely P. sefilata), and an unknown species with large, cock-like feathers; possibly a hybrid. Feathers to the far left belong to the Arfak Astrapia (A. nigra).

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Lophorina superba". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. 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.
  3. "Peer Review #2 of "Distinctive courtship phenotype of the Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise Lophorina niedda Mayr, 1930 confirms new species status (v0.1)"". 2018-04-16. doi:10.7287/peerj.4621v0.1/reviews/2. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. "Birds of Paradise | National Geographic". 2010-04-11. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  5. "Superb bird-of-paradise videos, photos and facts - Lophorina superba". Arkive. Archived from the original on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  6. "Bird of Paradise | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants". animals.sandiegozoo.org. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  7. D.W. Frith & C.B. Frith (1988) Courtship Display and Mating of the Superb Bird of Paradise Lophorina superb, Emu - Austral Ornithology, 88:3, 183-188, DOI: 10.1071/MU9880183
  8. "Bird of Paradise". Animals. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  9. "Distinctive Courtship Phenotype of the Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise Lophorina niedda (Mayr, 1930) Confirms New Species Status".

Further reading
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