Summary

The metallic blue-green feathers around the neck of male Superb Bird-of-Paradise usually lie flat against the chest but are fanned out, as seen on this specimen, during their dramatic courtship displays.

Previously Lophorina superba minor was considered a subspecies of Lophorina superba, a species ranging from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia but in 2017 the two populations were recognised as individual species. Lophorina minor occurs in the mountain forests of the Papuan Peninsula and the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea while Lophorina superba occurs in the mountains of West Papua, Indonesia.

The population of both species are unknown, but both are thought to be large enough and stable enough to be considered of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are both included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to ensure that international trade does not threaten their survival in the wild.

Specimen Details

Taxonomy

Geospatial Information