One of Indonesia’s greatest assets is its incredibly rich flora and fauna, new species of which are being discovered every day. All of these new plants and animals obviously need new names, and First Lady Iriana Widodo, wife of President Joko Widodo has now been given the honor of having one of the country’s indiginous bird named after her.
The bird species, pictured above, was found on Rote Island, East Nusa Tenggara, and was officially named Myzomela irianawidodoae by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) on December 17.
“This is intended as a form of appreciation to the First Lady, who is very concerned about bird welfare. Her dedication can serve as a role model and an example of saving the environment in Indonesia,” LIPI representative Dwie Irmawaty Gultom Dwie said through a written statement on Tuesday picked up by Kompas.
According to LIPI, M irianawidodoae is a part of the Meliphagidae family of birds and protected under the 1990 Conservation Law and the 1999 Law on the Preservation of Plant and Animal Species.
This newly named species of bird is small, measuring 11.8 centimeters in length and weighing 32.23 grams on average. Its primary food source is nectar.
First Lady Iriana also has the distinction of having an orchid species named after her at the National Botanical Garden of Singapore (NBGS), named the Dendrobium iriana jokowi.
