Animals - part 3 - birds

[Thomas H. Slone]

Birds:

koki: cockatoo.  New Guinea has two species. The black one (blakpela 
koki) is the palm cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus), which usually 
occurs at less than 750 meters elevation. The white one (waitpela 
koki) is the sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita), which has a 
yellow crest. It usually occurs at less than 1000 meters (Beehler et 
al., 1986: 117).

kokomo: hornbill; a large bird with a huge beak. The New Guinea 
species (Rhyticeros plicatus) is usually found at less than 500 
meters elevation (Beehler et al., 1986: 145).

kumul: bird of paradise; birds in the family Paradisaeidae. The 
species in this family often have beautiful, elongated and highly 
coveted feathers, which are used by Papua New Guineans for 
ornamentation. The birds are sexually dimorphic; the males have 
special plumage during mating season to attract females. Male birds 
assemble in a communal area (called a "lek", but not to be confused 
with the Tok Pisin word "lek") to attract females during mating 
season. The lek is also where they are primarily hunted by men in 
bird blinds (Beehler et al., 1986: 223-233; Everett, 1978; Wallace, 
1869:337, 354, 419-440).

muruk: cassowary; huge, fierce, flightless birds (Casuarius spp.). 
The feathers and meat are prized, and the leg bones are used as 
daggers. Males care for the eggs and chicks, but there is a folk 
belief that it is the females that do this (Tuzin, 1997: 76-78). The 
dwarf cassowary (C. bennetti) occurs at sea level to 3000 meters 
elevation; the southern cassowary (C. casuarius) occurs at sea level 
to 500 meters; and the northern cassowary (C. unappendiculatus) 
occurs from sea level to 700 meters. The three species are all found 
on mainland New Guinea and C. bennetti is also found on New Britain 
Island (Beehler et al., 1986: 45-46).

tarangau, taragau: bird of prey: hawk, kite, buzzard, eagle (family 
Accipitridae), falcon (family Falconidae) (Mihalic, 1971: 192; 
Murphy, 1985: 105; Beehler, et al., 1986: 61-68)

wel paul, paul bilong bus: 1. The bush hen (Amaurornis olivaceus) is 
found from sea level to 1500 meters elevation (Beehler et al., 1986: 
78) 2. The common scrubfowl (Megapodius freycinet) is found from sea 
level to 500 meters. It builds nests of leaves with soil or sand. 
Decomposition of the organic matter generates heat that incubates the 
eggs (Beehler et al., 1986: 72-74).

References:

Beehler, Bruce M.; Pratt, Thane K.; and Zimmerman, Dale A. (1986). 
Birds of New Guinea. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Everett, Michael (1978). The Birds of Paradise. London: Chartwell Books.

Tuzin, Donald F. (1997). The Cassowary's Revenge: The Life and Death 
of Masculinity in a New Guinea Society. Chicago: University of 
Chicago Press.

Wallace, Alfred Russell (1869 [1962]). The Malay Archipelago. New York: Dover.


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