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At Last, Mystery Bird Of New Zealand Has Been Found
WASHINGTON - Sci
entists had never seen it
before, but somewhere in
the New Guinea region
there was supposed to be
an outlandish "yellow
fronted gardener bower
bird."
Its exitence was known
only from three skins sold
to British zoologist Lord
Rothschild by a plume
nerchant in 1895. Of the
many spectacular species
of birds of paradise and
bowerbirds that also first
turned up in the plume
markets of London, Paris,
Amsterdam, and Singa
pore, it was the only one
that had never been traced
to its home ground.
Rain Forest Hide-Out
At last, the mystery bird
of New Guinea, Amblyor
nis flavifrons, has been
found. Early this year, on
his ninth research expedi
tion to the region, Californ
ia ornithologist Jared M.
Diamond discovered the
bird high up in the largest
unexplored mountain
range in New Guinea, the
thickly rain-forested Gaut
tier (Foja) Mountains in
the island's Indonesian
half.
Dr. Diamond described
this species as looking like
"a fat, chunky robin with
an incredibly glorious
golden orange crest." It
presumably had not been
seen since unknown Malay
or Papuan plume hunters
snared the three male
skins more than 85 years
ago.
The lure for ornitholo
gists was a strange bird
whose bower-building rela
tives were known to
construct the most elabor
ate structures in the avian
world - to woo as many
females as possible.
When these remarkable
courtship bowers were
first discovered in the 19th
century, they were thought
to be the work of human
artistry because of the
complexity of their archi
tecture and design. Built
on the ground, some
Light Loss
Dust on lightbulbs, lamp
shades and diffusing bowls cuts
down light by as much as 50
percent.
towering 7 feet high, they
are the unique creation of
small birds who work
alone and are found only in
Australia and New Guinea.
The search for the
elusive yellow-fronted
bowerbird had taken some
of the world's leading
naturalists and collectors
- even a crown prince of
Belgium - halfway around
the world. But all of the
more than a dozen expedi
tions, including one sup
ported by National Geo
graphic in 1964, had ended
a failure. And at times, the
missing bowerbird was
thought to be extinct.
This year's attempt,
partly funded by the
Tight Fit
If you have a fireplace, make
sure the damper fits tightly and
is free of debris for safe and
energy-efficient winter use.
National Geographic So
ciety, succeeded because
Diamond went to a
mountain range never
explored by scientists. "If
we didn't have those skins,
the tameness of the
animals would make it
seem that no human being
has ever been up there
before. It's like being in the
world 30 million years
ago," remarked Diamond,
who had to be helicoptered
in at 5,200 feet with a
chainsaw to construct a
landing site.
Discovery a Bonus
Ironically he came
across the lost bird when
he wasn't really looking for
it. "When I and anyone
else who goes to New
Guinea have dreams, we
dream about finding the
mystery bowerbird, but
my goal on this trip was
simply to do a general bird
survey of this mountain
range and help the Indo
nesian government plan a
national park there. The
discovery was a totally un
expected bonus."
Far from being extinct.
Diamond reports, the
yellow-fronted bowerbird
may number a thousand or
more - still a small
number for a bird species.
He actually saw about 30
and heard as many more.
He found bowers spaced
about a quarter-mile apart
along the crests of ridges,
within a narrow altitude
band of 5.400 to 5,900 feet.
The bird's range, he
believes, is restricted to
the Gauttier Mountains at
altitudes above 4,000 feet.
Remarkably Diamond
sighted both the bird and
the bower on the first day
(Jan. 31, 1981) of his
two-week stay and within
two minutes of his camo.
With the help of an Indo
nesian forester and two
New Guinea workers he
was starting to clear a trail
up to 6,500 feet and down to
3,200.
Initially, he almost
ignored the bird, thinking
its bower looked like that
of another well-known
species. "Only when I
noticed that the crest was a
golden orange and came
down to the nostrils did I
realize that I might be on
top of the mystery bird of
New Guines," he recalled.
But be wasn't absolutely
certain until he returned
home and examined the
Rothschild skins at the
American Museum of
National History in New
York. The live birds and
the airing were identical
except for the color of the
crest. On the live bird, it is
a rich golden orange; on
the skins, it has faded to a
paler yellow.
Witness to Courtship
Diamond's most extra
ordinary encounter with
the live bird occurred
when he stood within 10
feet of a male court
ing a female at his bower.
It was the only time he saw
two birds together.
"It happened one day
when I was walking along
a ridge and heard a loud
sound about 50 yards
away. It sounded like
gravel rolling down a
mountain slope and I
thought it must be a wild
Pig"
Instead Diamond diacov
ered the male bowerbird
"making these crazy woo
ing sounds while holding a
blue fruit about a third
the size of its head in its
bill. The sounds ranged
from clocks, croaks,
whistles and screeches to
noises like crumpling
paper or chopping wood."
At the same time, the
bird would spread, raise,
and lower its crest, shak
ing its head from side to
side to make the crest
quiver. All the while it
would point the blue fruit
at the female. Whenever
she flew to a different
perch, he would move too
so that what she always
saw was the blue fruit
against the quivering gold
en crest.
The backdrop for all this
was the male's Maypole
style bower: a 4-foot-high
tower of sticks crisscross
ed about a sapling or tree
fern, surrounded by a
circular moss platform 3
feet in diameter. On the
platform he had neatly
placed three piles of fruit
each one a different color
- yellow figs, some ripe
blue fruit, and the green
unripe version of the blue.
But this time this bird
apparently didn't have
what it takes. After 20
minutes, the female flew
off, leaving him alone in
his bachelor pad. Bowers,
which are fussed over
daily, and exclusive male
territory and are used just
for mating. The female
alone builds a nest in a tree
to care for the young.
Of the 18 kinds of bower
birds, this species' bower
is among the simpler ones.
Ornithologists have ob
served that the more color
ful the bird's own plumage,
the less ornate its bower.'
Bowers, they believe,
represent the transfer of
sexual adornment from the
bird to the structure, so the
birds tend to have the most
elaborate bowers. "It's
much like the dull young
man with the fancy sports
car," one ornithologist
commented.
Hots and Lawns
Depending on the spe
cies, bowers may be
walled avenues, thatched
huts, Maypoles, or careful
ly laid out lawns. They are
usually decorated with
dozens or even hundreds
of colorful flowers, berries,
shells, or pebbles. Some
birds bring fresh flowers to
the bower daily and carry
off withered blossoms.
Others paint the walls
with crushed plant matter,
using a stick or leaf for a
brush. Near populated
areas, the birds have in
corporated bits of civiliza
tion into the design —
Courting on (be Court
Lovers say that romance can
blossom anywhere, so it should
come as no surprise that college
students have come up with a
novel new way to spend time
with the opposite sex. The new
social trend may be sports dat
ing.
clothespins, bottle caps,
marbles, shotgun shells,
and car keys.
To enhance their own
domain, some birds also
steal from their rivals'
bowers and sometimes
even wreck them.
THANK YOU J
The most appropriate words we J
know to convey our gratitude
for the friendship and
confidence you have shown
throughout the past year.
It is truly because of you that
our progress has been main
tained. May the coming year
bring an abundance of good
health, happiness and
prosperity to you and your
family.
Ideal Florist
Warrenton, N.C.