Wildlife Spotting

I think you may be confusing Heliconia with Strelitzia. What you have pictured is a classic Bird of Paradise flower (Strelitzia) which originates in South Africa and is widely planted as a landscape shrub in areas with little or no frosts. Heliconia, sometimes called false Bird of Paradise because of the similar appearance of some species' flowers to that of Strelitzia, grows wild in much of South America. Or, conversely, you may be confusing the Bird of Paradise birds (found in New Guinea and Australia) with the plants.