Where Did Birds Of Paradise Get Their Name?

Birds of Paradise live in New Guinea and Australia and have brilliantly coloured plumage and wonderfully shaped long feathers. Ancient peoples have prized their decorative plumage and indigenous peoples of norther Australia and New Guinea have adorned themselves with the features in head dresses worn for ritual dances and other special occasions.

Tribespeople also used the birds as indoor decorations, removing the birds legs before stuffing them and using them as ornaments.

When Spanish sailors first visited the region in the 16th century, they too back with them bird of paradise skins. Noone back home had ever seen anything like the colours in the skins and the feathers or the elaborate plumage. They thought that such a beautiful bird could only have come from paradise and the birds have been so called ever since.

Unfortunately, their plumage has proved their downfall and importing skins into Europe reduced numbers significantly in the early years of the 20th century. Fortunately, it was stopped before the birds became extinct and so we still have birds of paradise today.