King of Saxony Bird of Paradise....

King of Saxony

Pteridophora Alberti:

The King of Saxony Bird-of-heaven (Pteridophora alberti) is one of those creatures that just take your breath away that belongs the Bird of paradise family (Paradisaeidae). This bird is the only member in the monotypic genus Pteridophora. The bird is sometimes referred to as "Kiss-a-ba" by the natives of Papua New Guinea and Western New Guinea, as a human interpretation of the male's loud call. The adult King of Saxony male is approximately 22 cm long with black and yellow with a dark brown bow, brownish-grey legs, aqua-green scheme, with two extraordinary long (up to 50 cm)  cockleshell, glazing-blue brow-quills that bird can be independently became upright at bird's ambition. The unattractive female is greyish brown with striped bottom. The male's decorative  head

quills are so kinky that when the first specimen was brought to Europe, people thought its simulated. The King of Saxony feeds mostly of fruits, berries and insect.

King of Saxony

Range & Habitat:

The King of Saxony endemic to the montane forests of New Guinea and is spread out from Indian Mountains in Western New Guinea to the Kratke Range in Papua New Guinea between 1,300 to 2,850 meters above sea level, but generally between 1,800 to 2,500 meters above sea level. Exuviated head-quills in beautiful condition are researched by male Archbold's Bowerbirds for use as ornamentations from the courtship bowers by mankind. Males are also hunted for their highly appraised long quills used by locals for ceremonious ornamentation, but the species remains fairly common in parts of its range.Males matures are regional. The King of Saxony protects its region from perches positioned in the tall trees top, and from these perches sings to compete with males in neighbouring regions. While singing, the male shakes his occipital quills arround. 

King of Saxony

History:

December 1894 when Adolf Bernard Meyer of the Dresden Museum characterized this species, both the general name "King of Saxony" and the scientific specific name "alberti" were given to honour then king of Saxony, Albert of Saxony, whose wife gave her name to the Queen Carola's Bird-of-Paradise. In 1996 David Attenborough filmed the first ever footage of the mating ritual of the King of Saxony.