Bird of Paradise Specimen on Auction for NZ$10,000
Well, I was browsing the web and I came across the auction of a specimen of the Lesser Bird of Paradise – otherwise known as Paradisaea minor – on auction for a whopping starting bid (no reserve) of NZ$10,000 (Approximately K18,000)!
The Lesser Bird of Paradise specimen which is from Papua New Guinea is in very good condition and it is currently on auction on Trade Me – New Zealand’s equivalent of eBay.
The seller claims that the Lesser Bird of Paradise specimen is an antique bird specimen for show in a museum and photos of the specimen show the bird perched on a wooden stump base within a mahogany and glass case.
The following is a photo of the actual specimen currently on auction:
The auction has already attracted a number of questions – particularly from one Trade Me member with the username of pngrasta – possibly a wantok who is questioning the sale of the specimen.
NOTE:
The Lesser Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea minor) is a medium-sized, up to 32cm-long, maroon-brown bird of paradise with a yellow crown and brownish – yellow upper back. The male has a dark emerald-green throat, a pair of long tail-wires and is adorned with ornamental flank plumes which are deep yellow at their base and fade outwards into white. The female is a maroon bird with a dark-brown head and whitish underparts.
It closely resembles the Greater Bird of Paradise, but is smaller in size. The males are polygamous, and perform courtship displays in leks. The female usually lays two pinkish eggs with dark markings in a nest in a tree high above ground. Its diet consists mainly of fruits and insects.
The Lesser Bird of Paradise is distributed throughout the forests of Misool and Jobi Islands of West Papua and northern Papua New Guinea.
Widespread and common throughout its large range, the Lesser Bird of Paradise is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
NOTE:
To view the auction simply click here.
The Garamut 