Berlepsch’s Six-wired Bird of Paradise :: A ‘Lost World’ ¶ Updated

OSLO (Conservation International) Feb. 7 — Scientists have found a “Lost World” in an Indonesian mountain jungle, home to dozens of exotic new species of birds, butterflies, frogs and plants.

“It’s as close to the Garden of Eden as you’re goingto find on Earth,” said Bruce Beehler, co-leader of the US, Indonesian, and Australian expedition to part of the cloud-shrouded Foja mountains in West Papua.

The expedition found a new type of honeyeater bird with a bright orange patch on its face, known only to local people and the first new bird species documented on the island in over 60 years.


This previously undescribed honeyeater
© CI, Bruce Beehler

They also found more than 20 new species of frog, four new species of butterfly and plants including five new palms.

And they took the first photographs of “Berlepsch’s six-wired bird of paradise,” which appears in 19th century collections but whose home had previously been unknown.



Berlepsch's Six-wired Bird of Paradise (Parotia berlepschi)
is named for the curious wires that extend from its head
in place of a crest. © CI, Bruce Beehler

As many of my journeys were made with the express object of obtaining specimens of the Birds of Paradise, and learning something of their habits and distribution; and being (as far as I am aware) the only Englishman who has seen these wonderful birds in their native forests, and obtained specimens of many of them, I propose to give here, in a connected form, the result of my observations and inquiries.


"Manuk dewata" or God's birds, and the Portuguese, finding that they had no feet or wings, and not being able to learn anything authentic about then, called them "Passaros de Col," or Birds of the Sun. The learned Dutchmen, who wrote in Latin, called them "Avis paradiseus," or Paradise Bird.

are just political, and writing them sometimes is like littering Village Blue with paper cups. This topic is very special, a scientific exploration of the unknown, where no white man has walked before and time has not met with Einstein.

Indonesian Irian Jaya West Papua

When the Netherlands East Indies won freedom in 1949, the Dutch kept only Papua of their once vast Pacific Empire. Prior to the hand-over of Papua to Indonesia in 1965, the Dutch endeavoured to help the Melanesians of Papua progress to a point where they were able to determine their own future.

The Asmat, the Michael C. Rockefeller Expeditions, the Museum of Primitive Art, NY. The Rockefeller collections from Michael Rockefeller‘s two trips during 1961, including field photos and documentation.

Stone Age Expedition in Papua

Severe threat in the region is the illegal logging of merbau trees.

● West Papua Independence Movement

Halliburton, Bechtel and now, Freeport McMoRan ◊ by Real History Lisa
Tue Dec 27th, 2005 at 10:50:01 PM PST

You know Halliburton. You’ve probably heard of Bechtel. But until today, I’ll bet most of you had never heard of Freeport McMoRan, formerly Freeport Sulphur.

Today, the New York Times printed a massive story on Freeport McMoRan, the American-owned New Orleans-based corporation that mines the world’s largest gold reserve. The article charges Freeport with spying on environmental organizers, making large payoffs to individuals in the Indonesian security forces, and polluting groundwater supplies. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg …

I’ve written extensively about the sordid history of this company both in Cuba and Indonesia.

… a select few in the military profit wildly, even as the mining operation is leaching acid into the groundwater serving the island containing the nations of West Papua and Papua New Guinea

Political activists put a lot of time into learning about Bush, Rumsfeld, Rove and Cheney. But we should look a little further to see whom these people really serve. Freeport is a much bigger player in international politics than most people know. Board members have included Henry Kissinger and Admiral Arleigh Burke, as well as several prominent members of the Rockefeller clan.

[Some links added are mine – Oui]