Bird of Paradise,
common name for any member of a family of birds, noted for the magnificent plumage of the adult males of many species. They are native to New Guinea and neighboring islands; four species reach eastern Australia. About 40 species are known. Protected from their natural enemies by their dull color, the females and young gather in small flocks. The more conspicuous males are often solitary, but at times engage in elaborate mating or other social display. Birds of paradise are omnivorous, and their food consists largely of fruit, insects, and snails. Demand for the male plumage has threatened the survival of some species.The great bird of paradise is about 46 cm (about 18 in) in length, including the tail. It has a dense, erectile tuft of golden-orange plumes, about 61 cm (about 24 in) tall, arising under each wing, and its central tail feathers form into a bunch of long, wirelike bristles. The first specimens of this species to reach Europe, in the 16th century, lacked feet, which gave rise to the erroneous belief that the birds spent their entire lives on the wing. In 1758 Linnaeus, in jest, gave the species the name apoda, "without feet."
Most of the paradise plumes once used for ornament were obtained from the lesser bird of paradise, which is smaller in size. Other species include the king bird of paradise, with two tail feathers modified into spiral shafts bearing an emerald disk at the end, and the "12-wired" bird of paradise, which has 12 lateral plumes ending in black recurving filaments.