Huon Astrapia

The Huon astrapia (Astrapia rothschildi), also known as Rothschild's astrapia, Huon bird-of-paradise, or Lord Rothschild's bird-of-paradise, is a species of bird-of-paradise belonging to the genus Astrapia. Like most of its congeners, A. rothschildi is a rather elusive member of its genus and family. This little-known astrapia is a medium-sized bird-of-paradise species, excluding the tail. The males reach up to around 69 cm long and weighs up to 205g, including the tail, while the smaller female is around 47 cm long and weighs slightly less at 200g. The males' head to breast are black with a velvety-blue iridescence, bordered by a characteristic iridescent, coppery-orange gorget-band; the hindneck is an elongated erectile cape with iridescent blue-green plate-like feathers, tipped pinkish-violet (cape may appear fully violet in some views.); upperparts, including wings, are black with a slight bronze-green sheen, underparts are a deep oily green, with larger, scale-like feathers down the sides a shiny lime-green; the impressively long tail feathers are purplish-black with a bluish sheen. The less-impressive females are mainly a dull brownish black, with slight, narrow pale barring ventrally; the upperparts are a lighter brown compared to the blackish head; and the tail is greatly shorter than the males' and generally similar in color, though drabbier and browner. It takes around 5–6 years to reach full adult plumage, like its congeners.