Allison Logan, age 13,of Tacoma, Wash., for her question:
IS THERE ONLY ONE KIND OF BIRD OF PARADISE?
Bird of paradise is a name given to a number of birds that have plumage of many dazzling colors. In fact, 36 different known kinds of birds are called birds of paradise.
Strange but true, the closest relatives of the birds of paradise are the crows.
Most of the world's wide variety of birds of paradise live wild 1n the tropical islands of New Guinea and in smaller neighboring islands. A few kinds live in northern Australia.
Little Tobago, an island in the West Indies, is the only place in the Western Hemisphere where the bird of paradise lives in its wild state.
Birds of paradise live in forests. They feed on insects and fruits.
Europeans first learned of the beautiful birds of paradise in the 1400s. Skins of the birds were used as articles of trade in Java at that time. There was a mistaken belief that the birds of paradise flew continually around the sun and dropped to earth only when they died.
Before the mating season, the male birds of paradise gather in a tree to display themselves to the dull colored females by strutting, dancing and spreading their wings and showing off their plumes. After mating, the birds build nests. The female lays from one to three spotted white eggs.
The greata bird of paradise is one of the largest kinds. It is about the size of a large crow. Its forehead and throat are a glittering emerald green. The head is golden yellow and the wings and tail are maroon. A dense mass of plumes about two feet long springs from under the wings. The lesser bird of paradise looks much like the great bird of paradise.
Wilson's bird of paradise is extremely beautiful. It has bare patches of cobalt blue skin on its head. On the neck is a tuft of yellow feathers which can be raised to form a halo. The back is scarlet and the breast is a dazzling moss green.
The beautiful Wilson's bird of paradise, in addition to the bright colors on its body, has narrow central feathers of the tail in a bright blue. They curve across each other and then curl spirally into a circle.
The King of Saxony's bird of paradise is about as large as a robin. It is black, with a yellow belly and wings edged with yellow. Two long shafts grow from the aides of its head. Attached to each shaft is a series of small parts of feathers. They make the shaft look like a wire hung with many little bright blue flags.
The little king bird of paradise has shining scarlet feathers, a white belly and a band of brilliant emerald green across its breast. On each side of the breast grow tufts of feathers tipped with a green hue which gleams like metal. These tufts can , be spread out like fans. The two middle feathers of the tail are like long bare wires which end in spiral emerald colored disks.
Many birds of paradise have been killed by plume hunters, who sold their beautiful feathers for decorataions on hats. It is now forbidden to kill these birds.
Laws now also forbid the importation of the plumage of birds of paradise into the United States.