A mesmerizing new Bird-of-Paradise has been discovered by ornithologists and it has even got killer dance moves.
Birds-of-Paradise are usually known for their smooth dance moves. A video captured in New Guinea revealed newly-uncovered birds that had similar looks to other Birds-of Paradise. However, the way they danced was what made them very different since it something that is never seen before.
This discovery led to the birth of a new species called ‘Vogelkop’, named after the region it was uncovered, reported Daily Mail.
After detailed study of the footage, scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Birds-of-Paradise project concluded that these specific species are only found in the far-western Bird’s Head or Vogelkop region of the island of New Guinea.
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However, where scientists thought ‘Vogelkop’ was unique from other Birds-of Paradise, another similar bird named ‘Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise’ was discovered. Though both the birds look similar, black in color and when raised their capes, they display a bright blue chest. They also have startling spots on heads. With all this they dance around the females until they are wooed. The microscopic structure of their feathers absorbs almost 100% of the light hitting it.
What differentiates them and makes one specie ‘superb’ compared to other are their dance moves and their ability to sing songs in a slightly different way. While the superb makes a loud squawking noise, the Vogelkop has a more pleasant, tonal call, reported National Geographic.
Publishing their findings in the journal PeerJ, Edwin Scholes from Cornell said, “After you see what the Vogelkop form looks like and acts like in the wild, there’s little room for doubt that it is a separate species. The courtship dance is different. The vocalizations are different. The females look different. Even the shape of the displaying male is different.”
For the future, scientists hope to discover more such Birds-of-Paradise in New Guinea’s bio-diverse but remote and isolated forests.