Birds of Paradise (Animals)
Birds of Paradise (Birds of Paradise) are called birds of paradise in the family Paradisaeidae, also known as the passerines. Also known as paradise. Birds, sunbirds, windbirds, fogbirds. It is a distant "relative" to the crow. According to statistics, there are more than 40 species of birds of paradise in the world, and there are more than 30 species in Papua New Guinea. Animal Bird of Paradise (18 photos) Bird of Paradise is a medium-sized bird; its body shape is similar to starlings and corvids. The beak is thick and short, and some are slender and sickle-shaped. On the head and chest or wings The various feathers that grow on them are shield-shaped, spiral-shaped, filament-shaped, fan-shaped, flags, shawls, cloaks, etc., which are the most eye-catching features of this family of birds; for example: Saxony The King of Paradise is 22 centimeters long, but has two 50-centimeter-long blue and white fern-like flag feathers growing behind its eyes. It has a unique appearance, just like the shape of Lu Bu in the Chinese drama. The specimen was sent to a European museum in 1894. At that time, because of its strange appearance, ornithologists believed that this specimen was a forgery and that this kind of bird could never exist in the world. The process of its discovery was similar to that of the "platypus" when it was discovered in the 18th century. Sound It is a rough rattling, whistling, hissing, smacking sound, and the call is as unpleasant as that of a corvid. For example: the little bird of paradise will make a "wow-wow-wow" sound, and the call of the great-skirted bird of paradise. The sound is like the sound of a rifle bullet passing through the air, so its English name is Riflebird, which means rifle bird. Its food is fruits, berries, figs, insects and their larvae, lizards, sickle-billed birds of paradise (genus Epimachus and Drepanornis ) will pry open tree bark like a woodpecker and eat insects and worms. In 1522 AD, after completing the expedition to the Spice Islands, the ship led by Magellan brought back the Bird of Paradise from the Molucca Islands as a gift from the chief of Batjan Island. When the bird skin was delivered to Spain, because the bird had no legs, it was mistakenly thought that the bird was born without legs. It only cruised and floated in the sky, never landed on the ground, and only lived in heaven, so it was named "Bird of "Paradise" means "bird of paradise". The reason why this bird has no legs is that the local indigenous people cut off the bird's claws and used them as headdresses, so it has no legs. Among them, the most outstanding ones are the blue bird of paradise, the footless bird of paradise and the king bird of paradise. . Papua New Guinea, an island country in the South Pacific, is the world-famous home of birds of paradise. Birds of paradise live in deep mountains and old forests. They have colorful feathers all over their bodies and huge and gorgeous tail wings. They soar into the sky and look like clouds all over the sky, full of color, peaceful and auspicious. Local residents firmly believe that this kind of bird is a divine bird in heaven. They eat nectar and drink dew from the sky. The Creator has given them the most beautiful form and the most beautiful clothes, bringing happiness and auspiciousness to the world. Initially, birds of paradise were hunted in large numbers in Western countries for decoration with their tail feathers. Because the local indigenous people had cut off the wings and legs when transporting the bird to the West to facilitate transportation, it is also said that the bird of paradise has no wings or legs, and only relies on its beautiful feathers to float in the sky like clouds. The blue bird of paradise has an extremely gorgeous body, with its central tail feather extending like a golden thread. During the reproductive season, the male bird may raise its head and arch its back, erecting the fluffy golden feathers on both sides; It has brocade-like feathers, and keeps singing sweet words of love and eternal vows in its mouth to attract the female birds and girls on the opposite side to look over and over. The footless bird of paradise does not really have no legs, but its legs are shorter and hidden in its long feathers when flying, so that people cannot see it. It is small, elegant and pretty, with its tail two or three times longer than its body. It is also known as the long-tailed bird of paradise. The King Bird of Paradise is not the biggest in stature, but it has a special temperament: First, it is loyal to love. No matter whether it is a man or a woman, once they fall in love, they will be together for life. They will not fight or make noise, but will always care about and love each other. First, if one day loses its partner, the other bird will never remarry or remarry, but will starve to death; secondly, they are lonely by nature and do not want to cohabit with other species, but whenever the environment changes, However, they fly high in the sky and act as guides for the migrating team. The rare bird of paradise is revered and cherished by the indigenous people in its ancient homeland of Papua New Guinea, an island country in the South Pacific.
Whenever there is a grand festival celebration, the indigenous residents wear headdresses made of gorgeous bird-of-paradise feathers, sing and dance, which is colorful and joyful. In the modern colonial era, the reputation of the bird of paradise spread throughout the world. People named a cluster of nebulae in the southern sky the "Bird of Paradise" constellation
Edit this paragraph Bird of Paradise (Plant)
Bird of Paradise (streliteela) Bird of Paradise
Archives
Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Angiosperms Class: Herbaceous Class: Orchidaceae Family: Traveler's family Plant Bird of Paradise (20 photos) Genus: Strelitzia Species: Strelitzia Orchid species: Origin: South Africa Flower color: Pink chrysanthemum Flowering period: Autumn to spring Alias: Strelitzia reginae
Overview
Strelitzia reginae, also known as bird of paradise or paradise Bird flower is a monocotyledonous plant native to South Africa. Their scientific name is Birds of Paradise
They were named in honor of Queen Charlotte, the consort of King George III. Strelitzia reginae can grow up to 2 meters tall and has large, strong leaves, 25-70 cm long and 10-30 cm wide, with petioles up to 1 meter long. The leaves are evergreen and divided into two rows, fan-shaped. Flowers appear on the ends of long stems. The spadix is ??hard and like a bird's beak, and because it is perpendicular to the stem, it looks like a bird's head. It's strong enough to support the sunbird family that feeds on the flowers' nectar. The flowers have three bright orange sepals and three purple-blue petals. Two of the lobes are united to form an arrow-like honey tube. When the sunbird family sits on it and feeds on nectar, the petals open and cover the bird's feet with pollen. In the art of floral arranging, bird of paradise is one of the materials. But it has long been in obscurity. In the 18th century, Emperor George II's beloved Queen Charlotte liked this flower the most and thought its flower shape particularly resembled a bird's crown and beak. The original name of her hometown was also called Bird of Paradise Village, so she gave it to her. This flower was given the name "Bird of Paradise" (later some people also called it Bird of Paradise). Since then, this new flower named after an animal has become famous all over the world. However, our country's horticultural experts think that its shape is like a crane stretching its neck and looking into the distance. It was also named "Strelitzia reginae". The flower language of the bird of paradise: freedom, happiness, unrestrained and auspicious. It also has the meaning of longevity in our country.
Morphological characteristics
Perennial herbaceous plant. It has thick fleshy roots underground and no obvious above-ground stems. The leaves are superimposed and opposite from the extremely short above-ground stems, arranged on both sides, with long stalks, hard texture, and a longitudinal groove in the center. The leaves are oblong, 20 to 40 cm long, 8 to 5 cm wide, and leathery. Lateral leaves have neat parallel veins. The inflorescences are swollen in the leaf axils, higher than the leaves, and the flowers have strange shapes. There are 6 to 8 flowers arranged in a scorpion tail shape, and there are also more than 10 flower branches. Outside the inflorescence there are involucre bracts, 15 to 20 cm long, green with purple-red edges. Flowers are large, bisexual, symmetrical on both sides; 3 sepals, lanceolate, orange-yellow; 3 lateral petals, 2 close to the tongue, 1 small navicular in the center, with auricular lobes at the base, almost as long as the sepals. Dark blue. The whole inflorescence looks like a crane looking into the distance. Strelitzia reginae has large and beautiful leaves, is evergreen all year round, and has unique flower shapes. It is a high-end cut flower that symbolizes happiness and freedom. Ecological habits: Nature likes warmth and a mild climate. The optimal growth temperature is maintained at 23-25°C, not lower than 5°C in winter, and can tolerate high temperatures of 40°C in summer. However, if the flower bud development period is higher than 27°C, it will affect the growth of the flower buds and even cause necrosis. High temperature and strong light may cause burns. The relative humidity of the air should be maintained at 60% to 70%. It requires deep soil, rich in organic matter, loose, fertile and well-drained soil, with a pH value of 6.5 to 7.0.
Characteristics
In fact, it is not an authentic orchid plant, but a perennial herb of the family Bananaceae. The plant is 1 meter high, with a clustered shape, leaves like bananas, long petioles arranged in a fan shape, and a rough appearance. The flower stems are pulled out from the leaf axils and are fifty or sixty centimeters long. The inflorescence is composed of a boat-shaped bract, which is as long as the palm of a hand and is in the shape of a spathe. When it blooms, the involucre is purple-red, the calyx is orange-yellow, and the petals are light blue. The entire flower shape looks like a colorful sparrow gliding with its wings spread. Its flowering period is very long, and it can bloom continuously from autumn to spring. Each plant blooms about 20 to 30 flowers every year. If it is kept fresh properly, it can be viewed for more than 10 days before it fades.
Application
Although the foreign flower industry has developed rapidly, the number of birds of paradise produced is not large, and it has remained rare for a long time.
This is because it is more difficult to propagate Strelitzia reginae
seeds naturally. When it blooms in tropical areas of Africa, it relies on a small hummingbird to spread pollen to produce seeds, and the germination rate is also low. , it often takes more than 3 years after the seedlings are planted and they have grown more than 90 leaves before they can bloom. Therefore, the price of Bird of Paradise flowers is relatively expensive. It is often necessary to buy one Bird of Paradise flower for the price of 10 roses in the international market. In 1984, the 23rd International Olympic Games was held in Los Angeles, USA. The conference announced that whoever would win the gold medal would be given a bird of paradise flower. As a result, it was praised as the "flower of the winner". The Bird of Paradise plant is relatively large and its leaves are not graceful enough. Potted plants are rarely used as indoor plant decorations in most halls. It is mainly used for open field cultivation, mainly for harvesting cut flowers, and provides people with artistic flower arrangements. Birds of paradise are often used as high-end flower materials in many large-scale flower arrangement competitions around the world. In 1990, Suzuki Aoi, a master of Japanese flower arrangement, presented an exhibition at the Flower Arrangement Expo held in Tokyo. It used maple leaves as the background, yellow chrysanthemums as the bedding, dead branches as the foil, and only a branch of bird of paradise flower. She quoted the famous line from an ancient Chinese poem, "The falling clouds and solitary swans fly together, the autumn water and the long sky are the same color" as the proposition. This work attracted countless viewers to stop and appreciate it, and they were very impressed by her artistic skills. It can be seen that the bird of paradise flower has indeed made an indispensable contribution to the history of artistic flower arrangement.
Cultivation management