The males of the ribbon tailed astrapia carry their long white tail feathers wherever they fly just like a jet plane leaves a smoky white trail in the sky. The male ribbon tailed astrapia has the longest tail feathers in relation to the size of its body. A medium sized bird is around 32 cm long and its tail measures up-to 1m.
The females appear rather dull with brown plumage in comparison to the males who have glossy reddish brown feathers and white tail feathers. The tail feathers do not provide any survival aid. Often, it gets tangled on the braches when the birds swing into action. The tails are rather used to attract females for mating.
The female ribbon tailed astrapia enjoy the privilege of choosing their partner, a compensation for their dull appearance indeed! Also known as Shaw Mayer’s astrapia, this bird belongs to the bird-of-paradise species. It was discovered recently in Papa New Guinea.
Picture Credit : Google