JUSTINA

So extravagant is this bird of paradise species that, when it was first brought over to Europe from New Guinea, everyone thought its feathers were fake. No wonder, because they can measure up to fifty centimetres long and come out of its head, not its tail. The back is similar to a wire, decorated on both sides with small lobes that alternate pink and black. During courtship, they wave them aloft as they frolic around and let out a delicate hiss. The specimen below was born at the papiroga ateliers in the form of a Maxi earring on 18 February 2021.