What is Bird-of-paradise?
{{Taxobox | name = Birds of paradise | image = Lesser Bird of Paradise.jpg | image_width = 230px | image_caption = Adult male [[Lesser bird-of-paradise]],<br />''Paradisaea minor'' | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordata]] | classis = [[Aves]] | ordo = [[Passeriformes]] | subordo = [[Passeri]] | familia = '''Paradisaeidae'''}} [[File:Wilson's Bird of Paradise.jpg|thumb|right|230px|[[Wilson's bird-of-paradise]]]] The '''birds of paradise''' are [[Passeriformes|songbirds]] of the family Paradisaeidae. They live in eastern [[Indonesia]], [[Maluku]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Torres Strait Islands]], and eastern [[Australia]]. Best known are the members of the genus ''[[Paradisaea]]'', including the [[type species]], the [[greater bird-of-paradise]], ''Paradisaea apoda''. They live in tropical forests like [[rainforest]]s, [[swamps]] and [[moss]] forest. They build their nests from soft materials, such as leaves, ferns, and vine monsters, typically placed in a tree fork.<ref name=EoB/> These birds are best known for the remarkable plumage and behaviour of the males. They are an extreme example of how [[sexual selection]] works.<ref>Irested, Martin ''et al'' 2009. An unexpectedly long history of sexual selection in birds-of-paradise. ''Evolutionary Biology'' '''9''' (235): 235. [http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/9/235]</ref> Females choose males who they instinctively see are fine specimens of their species. The colours of the [[plumage]], the construction of the nest, the [[song]] and the [[mating dance]] all play a part. In some species the pairing is [[monogamous]], and in others the males are [[polygamous]]. If they are monogamous, the males look much like the females. If they are polygamous, the males are very much flashier than the females. In both cases, it is the female who makes the choice of partner. Hunting for plumes and habitat destruction have reduced some species to endangered status. Habitat destruction due to [[deforestation]] is now the main threat.<ref name=HBW>Firth, Clifford B. & Da