Superb!
Today’s special animal friends are the Lophorinas, three species of radical Birds of Paradise who are described by the Cornell Lab as “shape shifters.” The Vogelkop Lophorina, Lophorina superba, is the weirdest, in my opinion. Found at the far western end of New Guinea, it is a small bird, about 10 inches high. Females and juveniles have inconspicuous brown and buff feathers with a barred underside, while males are mostly black.
They are found in moderately high mountains, under 8,000 feet, and are often found at the tops of trees. They eat fruit and arthropods, sometimes gathering in mixed-species flocks at fruit trees. Males prefer the peaks of ridges, where they can more easily be seen. This species has two subspecies, L. s. superba and L. s. niedda. Briefly, about six years ago, these were believed to be separate species, but the lumpers have prevailed over the splitters.
The Greater Lophorina, Lophorina latipennis, is found at slightly lower altitudes throughout central New Guinea. Males of this species eat — in addition to fruit and insects — frogs, reptiles, and other birds. Once again, the females are brownish and unremarkable, while the males display iridescent colors and perform dramatically to get the attention of the females. I think they look kind of scruffy compared to the Vogelkop.
The Lesser Lophorina, Lophorina minor, is found only in the southeastern peninsula of New Guinea, which is known as the Bird’s Tail Peninsula. It was identified as a unique species in 2017. Video of this species is not available even at eBird.
All these species are rated as Least Concern by IUCN. Habitat loss due to logging is the main threat. Birding tourism is a major source of income in New Guinea.
Good morning, friends. The youth are not happy about being up today. F is mumbling nastily and will Get His later on.
Good morning. 36 degrees here, predicted to rise to about 50 and cloudy. Some professional guessers are predicting rain in the PM.
Both the mothership and the FP are covering the accidental including of the journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, in a classified conversation about attacks on Houthis in Yemen. The participants, including Secretary of Defense Hegseth, Secretary of State Rubio and VP Vance, were using an encrypted phone app called Signal, which is NOT approved for classified communications.
I used to hold a TOP SECRET clearance, both in the military and as a civilian contractor. If I had done that, my clearance would be gone and my a$$ would be in “deep do-do.” This is at least as egregious as Hillary Clinton keeping classified emails on her personal server.
This morning’s “Worth Your Time II” headline says it all: 'If Pete Hegseth Had Any Honor, He Would Resign' --David French. https://archive.ph/gFirD