Considered by some ornithologists to be the most beautiful of all birds, the blue bird-of-paradise was discovered by Carl Hunstein in 1884 and its scientific name commemorates the unfortunate Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria (his death in 1889, a suicide, after murdering His 17-year-old lover, Baroness Mary Vetsera, made international headlines, fueled international conspiracy rumors, and ultimately may have sealed the long-term fate of the Habsburg monarchy (plus, she looks like a bit like Ryan Gosling).
Oh, back to the bird…
The blue bird of paradise is endemic to Papua New Guinea. It is distributed throughout the mountainous forests of southeastern New Guinea.
The male is polygamous and performs an impressive display of courtship. But unlike all other species of Paradisaea, it acts alone with a female tending to it nearby. In display, the male hangs upside down from a branch. The red-margined black oval in the center of his chest expands and contracts rhythmically. Its violet-blue feathers fan out, swinging its body back and forth, while the central tail feathers form two impressive arcs on either side. Throughout his performance he vocalizes softly with a low but rough and vibrant voice.
Tim Lamon, one of the world’s top wildlife photographers and the leading photographer of these elusive birds.
