NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Eastern Parotia
Parotia helenae De Vis, 1897
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The eastern parotia (Parotia helenae), also known as Helena's parotia, is a medium-sized passerine of the bird-of-paradise family, Paradisaeidae, endemic to mountain forests of the Bird's Tail Peninsula (Papua New Guinea). It is approximately 27 cm (11 in) long.
The scientific name honors Princess Helena Augusta Victoria, the third daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
As with other species of Parotia, the male is polygamous and performs spectacular courtship display in the forest ground. The clutch contains 1, maybe occasionally 2 eggs; one that was studied was 38.4 x 27.8 mm in size (Mackay 1990). It eats mainly fruit, seeds and arthropods.
A common species throughout its limited range, it is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
Wikipedia contributors, Eastern parotia; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:45:00.563653+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Parotia helenae De Vis, 1897
- Name authority
- De Vis, 1897
- Common name
- Eastern Parotia
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paradisaeidae
- Genus
- Parotia
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyParadisaeidae Vigors, 1825
- genusParotia Vieillot, 1816
- speciesParotia helenae De Vis, 1897
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Parotia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze ParotiaParotia berlepschi Kleinschmidt, 1897 | ParadisaeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Queen Carola's ParotiaParotia carolae A. B. Meyer, 1894 | ParadisaeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Western ParotiaParotia sefilata (Pennant in J. R. Forster, 1781) | ParadisaeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Wahnes's ParotiaParotia wahnesi Rothschild, 1906 | ParadisaeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Parotia lawesii helenae De Vis, 1897 De Vis, 1897 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- De Vis, & Charles Walter. (1897). Diagnoses of Thirty-six new or little-known Birds from British New Guinea. The Ibis, Vol. 3. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4DSSD. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.