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Scientific name: Paradisaea minor (Shaw, 1809). Shown here is an adult male - fully plumed.
Birds of paradise belong to the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. They are native to New Guinea and neighboring islands. About 40 species are known altogether. Four species
are native to eastern Australia. Protected from their natural enemies by their dull color, the females and young gather in small flocks. The more noticeable males are often solitary,
but at times engage in elaborate mating or other social display. Birds of paradise are omnivorous, and their food consists largely of fruit, insects, and snails.
Read this interesting chapter from Alfred Russel Wallace's The Malay Archipelago (1869).
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