Parotia

Parotias

Lawes's parotia, Parotia lawesii Male above, female below
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Paradisaeidae
Genus:	Parotia Vieillot, 1816
Species
6; see text

The parotias are a genus, Parotia, of passerine birds in the bird-of-paradise family Paradisaeidae. They are found on New Guinea, to which they are endemic. They are also known as six-plumed birds of paradise, due to their six head quills. These birds were featured prominently in the BBC series Planet Earth.

The males of the genus are characterized by an ornamental plumage consisting of six wired head plumes with black oval-shaped tips, a neck collar of black, decomposed feathers which can be spread into a skirt-like shape, and bright or iridescent head and throat markings. During courtship, they perform ballerina-like dances and spread out their "skirt" on a patch of forest floor they have meticulously cleaned of dead leaves and other debris.^[1] The "ballerina dances" usually consist of the male hopping from foot and bobbing their heads from side to side. The males are polygamous and do not take part in raising the young. Clutch size is somewhat uncertain; it is usually one to three eggs.^[2]

Species

Western parotia, Parotia sefilata
Queen Carola's parotia, Parotia carolae
Bronze parotia, Parotia berlepschi
Lawes's parotia, Parotia lawesii
Eastern parotia, Parotia helenae
Wahnes's parotia, Parotia wahnesi

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Parotia.

Wikispecies has information related to: Parotia

↑ Scholes, 2008
↑ Mackay, 1990

Mackay, Margaret D. (1990): The Egg of Wahnes' Parotia Parotia wahnesi (Paradisaeidae). Emu 90(4): 269.
Scholes III, Edwin (2008): Evolution of the courtship phenotype in the bird of paradise genus Parotia (Aves: Paradisaeidae): homology, phylogeny, and modularity. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 94: 491–504.

Birds-of-paradise (family: Paradisaeidae)

Genera and species

Genus	Species

Lycocorax	Paradise-crow

Manucodia	Glossy-mantled manucode Jobi manucode Crinkle-collared manucode Curl-crested manucode Trumpet manucode

Paradigalla	Long-tailed paradigalla Short-tailed paradigalla

Astrapia	Arfak astrapia Splendid astrapia Ribbon-tailed astrapia Princess Stephanie's astrapia Huon astrapia

Parotia	Western parotia Queen Carola's parotia Bronze parotia Lawes's parotia Eastern parotia Wahnes's parotia

Pteridophora	King of Saxony bird-of-paradise

Lophorina	Superb bird-of-paradise

Ptiloris	Magnificent riflebird Growling riflebird Paradise riflebird Victoria's riflebird

Epimachus	Black sicklebill Brown sicklebill

Drepanornis	Black-billed sicklebill Pale-billed sicklebill

Cicinnurus	Magnificent bird-of-paradise Wilson's bird-of-paradise King bird-of-paradise

Semioptera	Standardwing

Seleucidis	Twelve-wired bird-of-paradise

Paradisaea	Lesser bird-of-paradise Greater bird-of-paradise Raggiana bird-of-paradise Goldie's bird-of-paradise Red bird-of-paradise Emperor bird-of-paradise Blue bird-of-paradise

Incomplete list of likely hybrid birds-of-paradise

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