Astrapian sicklebill explained

The astrapian sicklebill, also known as the green-breasted riflebird, is a bird in the Paradisaeidae family that was proposed by Erwin Stresemann to be an intergeneric hybrid between an Arfak astrapia and black sicklebill, an identity since confirmed by DNA analysis.^[1]

History

Only one adult male specimen of this hybrid is known, held by the American Museum of Natural History, and presumably deriving from the Vogelkop Peninsula of north-western New Guinea.^[2]

References

• Book: The Birds of Paradise. Frith, Clifford B. . Beehler, Bruce M. . amp . 1998. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 978-0-19-854853-9.
• Thörn . Filip . Soares . André E. R. . Müller . Ingo A. . Päckert . Martin . Frahnert . Sylke . van Grouw . Hein . Kamminga . Pepijn . Peona . Valentina . Suh . Alexander . Blom . Mozes P. K. . Irestedt . Martin . 2024-06-08 . Contemporary intergeneric hybridization and backcrossing among birds-of-paradise . Evolution Letters . en . 1-15 . 10.1093/evlett/qrae023 . free.

Notes and References

1. Thörn et al. (2024).
2. Frith & Beehler (1998), p.507.