The colourful plumage of Papua New Guinea's birdlife exerts an enduring allure -- for birds, people and collectors alike. Feathers have long served as symbols of attraction and prestige, central both to Darwin's theory of sexual selection and to the cultural identity of Indigenous communities who have used them in ceremonial attire for tens of thousands of years. They also captivated early traders and colonists: the global demand for "exotic birds" once helped drive New Guinea's waves of colonization.

Throughout history -- and across both the human and non-human worlds -- there has been a consistent desire to secure these rare and beautifully striking feathers to boost one's own attractiveness.

From the male bowerbird adorning his nest with feathers from the King of Saxony bird-of-paradise (Pteridophora alberti) - a species named in honour of a European monarch who financed colonial expeditions - to the fashion-conscious Victorian Londoner wearing similar plumes imported from New Guinea at great cost, the appeal of avian beauty has long transcended species and societies.

The birds' splendour, then, seems both a blessing and a curse. It has driven overhunting and exploitation in some cases, while inspiring critical conservation support and eco-tourism in others. Papua New Guinea (PNG)'s birdwatching industry, for instance, is both lucrative and relatively low-impact. Although international trade in native birds' feathers is now banned, they are still harvested locally -- especially for headdresses and other ceremonial attire. Yet this practice is contributing to the decline of many of the country's endemic birds, raising critical questions about the interplay of cultural and biological conservation.

A study led by Grace Nugi, a local conservation biologist and former beauty queen, who grew up donning huge headdresses at cultural events, found that in Kerowagi District in PNG's densely forested highlands, there were a greater number of Pesquet's Parrots (Psittrichas fulgidus) preserved in headdresses than there were alive in the wild. This suggests that ongoing cultural harvest could well outpace its remaining population -- especially as the region's population continues to grow, alongside increasing demand for traditional regalia from urban residents.

Feather harvesting in Papua New Guinea: Culture and conservation