Paradisaea

The genus Paradisaea consists of six species of birds-of-paradise, which belong to the family Paradisaeidae. These special birds live on the island of New Guinea and nearby island groups such as the Aru Islands, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, and Raja Ampat Islands. They make their homes in different kinds of forests, from those near the sea up to forests that grow on middle-height mountains.

These birds are all large and look quite different depending on whether they are male or female. The males have very long feathers on their sides that come out from under their wings, and they also have a pair of thin, wire-like feathers at the end of their tails. They use these long side feathers especially when showing off to find a mate.

The name Paradisaea comes from the Latin word for "paradise." In Indonesia, where some of these birds live, they are called cenderawasih. A study in 2009 looked at the mitochondrial DNA of these birds and found that Paradisaea birds are closely related to the genus Cicinnurus. This study also showed that one kind, the blue bird-of-paradise, is closely connected to all the other species in the Paradisaea group.

Taxonomy

The group of birds called Paradisaea was created by a scientist named Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The name Paradisaea comes from a word meaning "paradise". One of the main species in this group is the greater bird-of-paradise.

The genus has six different species of birds.

Common name	Scientific name	Distribution
Greater bird-of-paradise	Paradisaea apoda	Southwestern and southern New Guinea, as well as the Aru Islands; found at altitudes around 900–950 m.
Raggiana bird-of-paradise	Paradisaea raggiana	Most of South, East-Central, Eastern and Southeastern New Guinea; typically found around at 1500 m in altitude.
Lesser bird-of-paradise	Paradisaea minor	Most of Northern, Northwestern and Western New Guinea (nominate race found also on Misool and other nearby islands.), also Eastern New Guinea near the Huon region; found at altitudes from 0–1500 m.
Goldie's bird-of-paradise	Paradisaea decora	Fergusson and Normanby islands in the D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago located Southeast of New Guinea; found at lower altitudes than other Paradisaea members.
Red bird-of-paradise	Paradisaea rubra	Waigeo and Batanta islands of Raja Ampat in West Papua at altitudes of around 550–600 m.
Emperor bird-of-paradise	Paradisaea guilielmi	Mountains in the Huon Peninsula in Northeastern New Guinea; commonly found at altitudes of 1300–1500 m, though can be found lower at 400–670 m.