Greater bird-of-paradise

Species of bird

The greater bird of paradise (Paradisaea apoda) is a bird of paradise in the genus Paradisaea. Carl Linnaeus named the species Paradisaea apoda, or "legless bird of paradise", because early trade skins to reach Europe were prepared without wings or feet by the indigenous New Guinean people; this led to the misconception that these birds were beautiful visitors from paradise that were kept aloft by their plumes and never touched the earth until death. The genus name is from the Late Latin paradisus meaning "paradise", due to the voyagers in Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the Earth, the first Europeans to encounter this animals. Antonio Pigafetta, the main chronicler of that expedition, wrote that "The people told us that those birds came from the terrestrial paradise, and they call them bolon diuata, that is to say, 'birds of God'." The specific epithet apod combines the Ancient Greek a meaning "lacking" and pous, podus meaning "foot". Although several subspecies have been described, these are now not recognised and the greater bird of paradise is considered to be monotypic.

The greater bird of paradise is the largest member of the genus Paradisaea, with "the most glamorous display in the bird world". With males measuring up to (excluding the long twin tail wires). The female is smaller, at The plumage of this species is also sexually dimorphic. The male has an iridescent green face and a yellow glossed with silver iridescent crown, head, and nape. The rest of the body plumage is maroon brown. The flank plumes, used in displays, are yellow at the base, turning white and streaked with maroon. The female has unbarred maroon brown plumage. In both sexes, the iris is yellow and the bill is blue.

Male greater birds of paradise, as polygynous breeders, experience female selection, in which females choose male mates based upon indirect genetic benefits which increase offspring fitness. Since males do not contribute to offspring in any other way (i. e. through parental care), females have to assess male fitness through courtship rituals, details of which are in the following sections.

Males display in trees above the ground and congregate in a lek or “court” versus individually displaying for females.