The Paradisebirds are divided into three subfamilies: the Cicinnurinae (Birds of Paradise), the Paradisaeinae (Paradise Birds), and the Astrapiinae (Astrapias). These birds inhabit a range of habitats, from lowland forests to mountainous regions, and their diets consist mainly of fruits, insects, and small invertebrates.
Nelly smiled. “Because they made islands of air. They carried other songs inside them. Sometimes they would take a phrase and fashion it into something new—a laugh, a half-remembered lullaby. People thought it magic. We learned not to tell the wrong ears.”
