No birds in the world have brighter colors than the birds-of-paradise (Paradisaeidae). From their cheerful colors no one would guess that they are cousins of our crows.
Many of the feathers of these birds have queer shapes. Some of them make beautiful plumes. Only the male birds have the bright-colored feathers. The females are dull in color.
There are more than 30 kinds of birds-of-paradise. They live mostly in the hot, rainy forests of the island of New Guinea. A few kinds are found in Australia.
In early times the skins of these birds were used in trading in the East Indies. Travelers from Europe saw them there about 500 years ago. The feet were always cut off the birds before their skins were used. The travelers thought that the birds never had feet. The story was told that these beautiful creatures never stopped flying until they died. Even the famous scientist Linnaeus believed that they had no feet and gave them a scientific name meaning "without feet." As the picture shows, they really have good feet.
Some male birds of paradise, in fact, do a great deal of dancing and strutting about when they are courting. They make dance floors for themselves in the forest.
For a time there was danger that all the birds-of-paradise would be killed for their feathers. But now laws protect them.
