Astrapia Cousins

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Astrapia Cousins

Today’s special animal friend is the splendid astrapia, Astrapia splendidissima, which actually means “the most splendid astrapia,” although the Astrapia genus does not include a least splendid astrapia. Astrapia is a genus of birds of paradise which includes five species, all found only in New Guinea. They all have mostly black bodies, and the male of each species has iridescent features in brilliant green or blue. Another common element is unusually elongated tail feathers.

The male splendid astrapia’s tail feathers are medium length for the genus, and the center ones have oval projections at the ends. The tips are black, while the upper tail feathers are white. Males have a narrow band of black and another narrow band of copper across the bright green of their chests and bellies.

The ribbon-tailed astrapia, Astrapia mayeri, is also mostly black and metallic green. It is notable for the two very long, white retrices (flight feathers) of its tail. These feathers can be over three feet long.

The retrices can take several years to reach their full length. Ribbon-tailed astrapia live in the high mountains of New Guinea, where they eat a mainly fruit diet. They also eat spiders, insects, and frogs.

The male Princess Stephanie’s astrapia, Astrapia stephaniae, also has very elongated tail feathers, but his are black. This species appears to be in the process of being renamed: it says “Princess Stephanie’s” on the Wingspan card (pretty good card), but “Stephanie’s” on the Cornell Lab website. I guess princesses are racist now. Anyway, it lives lower in the mountains than the ribbon-tailed astrapia, and its diet also includes lizards.

The male huon astrapia, Astrapia rothschildi, has a lot of shiny green on his head and body and a long, droopy black tail. Females and adolescents of this species hunt in groups for insects and other animals in the thick moss covering tree trunks and branches in the New Guinea jungle.

Finally, the arfak astrapia, Astrapia nigra, is found in the Arfak Mountains, which are scenic:

In all these astrapia species, the males associate with the females only in mating season, when they gather at lek sites to sing and to display their various fancy feathers. They are all polygynous: the males mate with as many females as possible, and the females nest, hatch, and rear the chicks alone.

They are all species of Least Concern, with much of their habitat protected throughout New Guinea. Habitat loss or degradation is a risk to species with the smallest range.