The Habitats of Birds of Paradise

 There are forty-two known species of birds of paradise, of which thirty-eight are found in New Guinea, two in Australia, and two in Maluku in eastern Indonesia. The climate in New Guinea is generally wet, though it is possible to distinguish between a ‘dry season’ from May to November, and a ‘wet season’ from October to April. Most of the native birds, including the birds of paradise, reach a peak of plumage display during the dry season and the beginning of the wet season, which marks the height of the nesting period. G.E. Rumphius, the Belgian naturalist in the employ of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in the seventeenth century, was the first to document six species of the bird. Though the original manuscript is lost, his observations are repeated in François Valentijn’s monumental study, Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën, published in 1724.

Among the six species mentioned are the Lesser Bird of Paradise, which were the birds brought back to Europe by Magellan’s crew, and the Greater Bird of Paradise (which Linnaeus named the ‘Feetless Bird of Paradise’, to mock prevalent European views). The former species is found near the coast in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of West Papua Province and in the Jayapura region of Papua Province in Indonesia, while the latter is located in southwest Papua New Guinea as well as in the Trans Fly region which straddles both countries. While in Aru, Alfred Russel Wallace witnessed the mating dance of the Greater Bird of Paradise, although its habitat is in New Guinea.

Some of these birds fly to the nearby Aru Islands during the mating season, though such a journey can be treacherous because of the peculiar nature of their feathers. He noted that in September and October the silky feathers of the birds were in full perfection. It was then that they began their special mating dance on very large trees with extensive canopies but scattered foliage, allowing a space for the birds to strut in the sun to display their splendid feathers. In one tree he saw assembled between a dozen and twenty male birds in full plumage, raising their wings and stretching their necks all the while maintaining a continuous vibration which contributed to the brilliance of the display of the plumes. Flying from branch to branch, the birds presented a spectacle of colourful feathers in constant motion in all manner of poses.

Wallace writes:

The bird itself is nearly as large as a crow, and is of a rich coffee brown colour. The head and neck is of a purest yellow above, and rich metallic green beneath. The long plumy tufts of golden orange feathers spring from the sides beneath each wing, and when the bird is in repose are partly concealed by them. At the time of its excitement, however, the wings are raised vertically over the back, the head is bent down and stretched out, and the long plumes are raised up and expanded till they form two magnificent golden fans, striped with deep red at the base, and fading off into the pale brown tint of the finely divided and softly waving points.

The whole bird is then overshadowed by them, the crouching body, yellow head, and emerald green throat forming but the foundation and setting to the golden glory which waves above. When seen in this attitude, the Bird of Paradise really deserves its name, and must be ranked as one of the most beautiful and most wonderful of living things. Among the Papuans of New Guinea and neighbouring islands, the species that is most prized is the Raggiana Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea raggiana; cenderawasih in Indonesian), which appears in the national crest and the flag of Papua New Guinea.

They are found in southern and northeastern Papua New Guinea, and their feathers adorn the headdress of many Papuan dancers during special festivals. In Indonesia’s Papua Province, the cenderawasih’s popularity is reflected in the fact that its name has been given to a bay, a university, and to streets.

Song repertoires of Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) populations in a neighboring sapling, pole, and saw-timber stands in eastern Texas were tape-recorded during the 1979 breeding season. Cardinals in each area used different syllable types and sang songs of varying duration and complexity. Cluster analysis and discriminant function analysis identified three distinct dialects, one for each of the three study areas. Cardinals in the sapling stand used a wider range of frequencies than did those in the saw-timber stand. 

Cardinals in the pole stand used a range of frequencies intermediate in size to that of either the sapling or saw-timber stands. For all three populations, the frequency with the greatest amplitude was about 2 100 Hz, a low frequency that carries better than high frequencies over long distances. 

In the stand that lacked a closed canopy, cardinals typically used syllables with considerable frequency modulation; however, in the two older stands cardinals seldom used extensive frequency modulation in their songs. 

Differential singing behavior of this nature probably enhances long-distance communication by minimizing excessive reverberation from canopy foliage. We suggest that some of the differences in syllable structure noted between the three cardinal dialects may be the result of selective pressures exerted by the acoustics of the environment.

Quebrada de Humahuaca - Remains of ancient cultures in a colorful Andes valley

 RUTA 9 SHOOTS NORTH of San Salvador de Jujuy in Argentina’s lonesome, northwestern reaches. This region evokes a beautiful last-frontier quality with its long, cactus-dotted valley carved over millennia by the Río Grande. It’s the coloring that stands out first, craggy rock walls banded in vibrant reds, yellows, oranges, pinks, and blues, as if a crazy artist went to work with a broad brush and a madcap vision.

The Cerro de los Siete Colores (Hill of Seven Colors), just outside Purmamarca, and Serranía de Hornocal, near Humahuaca, with vivid, wave-shaped rock formations, are two striking examples of this phenomenon. But arid natural beauty is not the foremost reason for this region’s fame. Remote as it seems, the valley was used as one of the world’s oldest trade routes, and people have lived and traveled and exchanged ideas in it for 10,000 years.

Stone-walled terraces, built by early agricultural societies and thought to be 1,500 years old, are still in use today at Coctaca. Later generations of indigenous people also learned the art of ceramics, and cultivated crops like corn, potatoes, and quinoa. In the 15th century, the Inca folded the region into their empire, and then the treasure-seeking Spaniards invaded it in the 16th century.

There are still traces of both occupiers: Among the Inca vestiges are three mummified children found in a perfect state of preservation 22,110 feet (6,739 m) up Llullaillaco Mountain, where they had been sacrificed in a religious ritual. They’re part of a poignant display at Salta’s excellent High Mountain Archaeological Museum. The Spanish left behind distinctive colonial architecture like neat adobe houses and squat Hispanic churches.

The golden altar at Capilla de San Francisco de Paula in Uquía is particularly stunning. Despite foreign invasions, the original cultures of this region were never obliterated. Just poke into the string of villages lining the Río Grande canyon—Purmamarca, Maimará, Tilcara, and Humahuaca—and you’ll discover traces of that indigenous heritage everywhere, in age-old festivals, spirituality, arts, healing practices, and language.

Even the cuisine reflects long-ago traditions. The best time to experience the legacy of the native people of Quebrada de Humahuaca is August 1, when Pachamama (Mother Earth) is celebrated for her year-round beneficence with gifts left on roadside altars. The best potatoes, corn, and meat are cooked in a stew that is buried in the ground, along with cigarettes, coca leaves, and alcohol. This is a gesture of feeding the earth, upon which the people rely for sustenance.