SITTELLAS: Neosittidae
This distinctive Australasian family includes only 2 species, both of which inhabit New Guinea. Sittellas are small, nuthatch-like birds that live in tight flocks and forage for insects and spiders over branches and limbs of forest trees, continually uttering high twittering notes. They move rapidly from one tree crown to the next and are instantly recognized by their foraging behavior. They inhabit mountain forest in New Guinea. Breeding habits in New Guinea are unknown.
Varied Sittella Daphoenositta chrysoptera |
(Papuan Sittella, D. papuensis, Neositta chrysoptera or papuensis)
11–12 cm. Seen infrequently in mid-mountain and lower cloud forest zone. In twittering flocks that move hurriedly through the canopy. A very small, compact, streaked bird that busily forages on branches and trunks. Note white rump. Male: Head usually darker than Female’s, see Subspp. Female: Head pale, either white or grey, and unblemished or faintly streaked. Juv: Dark upperparts with white tips to feathers. In flight: White wing bar. Subspp (5, in 4 groups): papuensis (Bird’s Head) top of Male’s head black; alba (northern W Ranges) Male’s head white; toxopeusi (southern W Ranges to E Ranges) Male’s head streaked; albifrons (SE Pen) similar but top of head darker. Similar spp: Black S entirely blackish with pink face and tail tip; occurs at higher elevation. Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot has a similar size, shape, and habits, but shows obvious parrot features and green plumage. Papuan Treecreeper is solitary, more elongate, and creeps up tree trunks and branches. Voice: Flock call a rapid sipsipsip …, repeated incessantly like a baby bird (Eastern Ranges) or slower zzip zzip zzip … (Bird’s Head). Habits: In open canopy. Only in flocks of 4–10 birds that move and call continually. Searches bark and wood for hidden prey, often moving downward (treecreeper moves upward). Gleans and excavates. Probably a cooperative breeder, but nest and nesting habits in NG undescribed. Nest built on an upright branch fork in treetops; a small cup, tightly woven and decorated to blend in with branch (AU data). Eggs (~3) bluish, greenish, or greyish, dark spotted and blotched. Range: NG: Bird’s Head, Central Ranges, and Huon, 1440–2200 m (1075–2600 m). Also AU. Taxonomy: Relationship of the New Guinea forms to the Australian ones is in need of study.
Black Sittella Daphoenositta miranda |
12 cm. Rare in cloud forest at high elevation, above the range of the previous species. Adult: Small, sooty-black sittella with pink face and tail tip. Male’s iris and legs dark; these yellow in Female. Juv: Blackish with rusty spotting and face. In flight: White wing bar noticeable in underwing. Similar spp: Variable S is paler and streaked, lives mostly at lower elevations. Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot. Voice: Flock call is a faint, sucked-in, and slightly squeaky, sweek, sweek, sweek…. Habits: Similar to previous species. Usually in canopy, but in gaps it may descend to forage on low trees and fallen logs. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG Central Ranges, 2000–3600 m.
BERRYHUNTERS: Rhagologidae
Recent studies have shown that the Mottled Berryhunter is not a whistler (family Pachycephalidae) and it has recently been removed to its own family. Rhagologus is an odd, mysterious songbird unlike any other in NG. It possesses a beautiful and memorable song of slurred, musical notes.
Mottled Berryhunter Rhagologus leucostigma |
(Mottled Whistler)
15–16 cm. An elusive fruit eater of the montane forest interior. Locally common and sings often, yet difficult to see. Female is the more ornate sex. Male: In far West similar to Female but somewhat duller; elsewhere plain drab olive. Female and Juv: Dark olive with rusty face. Streaked and spotted with white and rufous. Adult both sexes have olive or yellow-brown iris, Juv dark brown. Subspp (2): leucostigma (Bird’s Head to W Ranges) Male patterned like Female but markings less conspicuous and face not as rufous; obscurus (Border Ranges eastward to SE Pen) Male lacks Female pattern, instead is dingy greyish olive, faintly mottled grey on face and throat, and Female bright and heavily spotted. Similar spp: Berrypeckers are all much smaller. Imm of true whistlers have rufous in plumage, suggestive of female Mottled B, but their plumage is not streaky, nor mottled in the same way. Wattled Ploughbill female is yellow-green below, has different bill. Little Shrikethrush is larger, stockier, not as mottled. Voice: Song is unique—a loud, slowly delivered, cheerfully whistled tune of 5–13 slurred notes. Habits: Alone or less often in pairs. Usually quiet and inactive. Inhabits middle story of montane forest and less commonly second growth. Diet includes much fruit, yet the bird is rarely noticed at fruiting trees. Perhaps takes fruit mostly from shrubs, vines, and small trees. Nest 2–3 m up in the fork of a small tree; a woven cup covered on the outside with moss and liverworts. Egg (1) cream white with speckles. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head to Central Ranges and Huon, 1500–2300 m (800–2900 m).
AUSTRALO-PAPUAN BELLBIRDS: Oreoicidae
Also once placed in Pachycephalidae, these two genera plus the Crested Bellbird (Oreoica gutturalis) of Australia appear to have no close relatives besides each other. All 3 live on the ground and will ascend partway up trees to forage along trunks and large branches. They are stocky birds with a full, bushy crest and distinctive songs.
Rufous-naped Bellbird Aleadryas rufinucha |
(Rufous-naped Whistler, Pachycephala rufinucha)
16–18 cm. Common but skulking in thickets and lower story of mid-mountain and cloud forests. Adult: A chunky, olive-green bird with white eye and forehead, yellow throat, and rufous nape. Juv: Variably olive brown above, chestnut below, with green wings and tail (some have Adult pattern but with brown, soiled appearance); pale bill; dark iris. Imm: Resembles Adult but with reduced markings and darkish iris. Subspp (4, in 2 groups): rufinucha (Bird’s Head) lacks white forehead, rufous nape patch smaller; gamblei (rest of range) white forehead. Similar spp: Papuan Logrunner female shows barred wings, bristle-tipped tail, and different behavior. Papuan Whipbird female resembles a green juv bellbird but has thinner bill and longer tail. Voice: Song variable, a series of repeated, high, clear, ringing, whistled notes or upslurs, at times alternating between notes or repeated monotonously for prolonged periods. Examples include a robin-like series of repeated pure, tonal whistles, at a rate of 3/2 sec. Another is a repeated pair of whistler-like notes, the first rising, the second falling in pitch. Call (alarm?) is a conspicuous, loud, harsh, disagreeable rasp or hiss, bshh SHHHT. Habits: Solitary and often secretive, but vocal. Forages mostly by hopping along the ground searching, but also follows trunks and branches up into the forest midstory and even into the canopy. Takes arthropods and some fruit. Nest is built in the forest understory or midstory, in the fork of a vertical stem; nest a bulky cup of moss, fiber, and rootlets. Eggs (2) white with dark spots. Range: Endemic. NG: nearly all mts (no records from Cyclops and Kumawa Mts), 1750–2600 m (1450–3600 m).
Piping Bellbird Ornorectes cristatus |
(Crested Pitohui, Pitohui cristatus)
24–25 cm. Locally common in forest interior of foothills and nearby lowlands. A bushy-crested, stocky, brown bird living on the ground and as high up as the midstory. Extremely shy. Amazing song is key to discovery. Adult: Brown above, paler rusty brown below. Rather variable. Some birds have a blackish face, of unknown significance. Juv: Rufous edges to wing-coverts. Subspp (3): Minor. Similar spp: Rusty P is lankier, larger, with pale iris. Little Shrikethrush smaller and slimmer. Neither spends much time on the ground. Voice: Song an incredibly long series of identical notes delivered uninterrupted for as much as 15 min. The rate of delivery gradually increases from several to many per sec, and the pitch gradually descends. The notes have a musical but throbbing quality, like that produced by blowing across the mouth of a large open jar. From afar, sounds like ko ko ko …, but at close range, like ur-kohwahn, ur-kohwahn, ur-kohwahn…. Song carries long distances but is ventriloquial, and the singer hides from view. Bell-like calls are very different; 2–4 clear notes can be produced by more than 1 bird. Alarm call, a harsh chhrr. Habits: Elusive, staying hidden in the undergrowth and almost impossible to observe. Solitary, in pairs, or small parties. Occasionally joins mixed-species flocks with pitohuis and birds of paradise. Forages for invertebrates while hopping along the ground or up into branches. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG, except most of Sepik-Ramu, Huon, and northern SE Pen, 400–1000 m.
PLOUGHBILLS: Eulacestomatidae
Unlike the previous two families that have been removed from Pachycephalidae, the Wattled Ploughbill does actually appear to be related to the whistlers and allies, but it is very different from that family.
Wattled Ploughbill Eulacestoma nigropectus |
(Wattled Shriketit)
13–14 cm. Uncommon in cloud forest, especially thickets of climbing bamboo. A small, chubby bird that creeps on tree branches and in bamboo, stopping to excavate or strip stems with its unique, deep-biting bill. The bill has a reinforcing ridge on the pointed upper half for chiseling; the lower half is upward curved for biting. Male: Black breast patch and wings. Large, pink gape wattles. Female: Entirely olive green (wings, tail with brownish wash; faintly scalloped below) and lacks wattles. Juv: Grey-green with chestnut brown on back, rump, wings. Imm: Like Female but with retained Juv chestnut wing-coverts and flight-feathers. Similar spp: Male unmistakable. Mottled Berryhunter male darker, with some mottling and thin bill. Voice: Several songs or calls: a barely audible, high, thin, even whistle like a jewel-babbler but emanating from treetops or midstory; a series of ~6 rising and falling whistled notes; and a buzzy, repeated note. Habits: Solitary, in pairs, or in groups of 3–4; joins mixed flocks of small insectivores. In humid mossy forest, especially thick, regenerating vegetation. Eats insects. Vigorously digs and hammers on bark, dead wood, and bamboo; hops about, occasionally hanging upside down to check undersides of limbs. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG: Central Ranges, in the zone of climbing bamboo at ~2000–2500 m (1300–2800 m).
WHISTLERS AND ALLIES: Pachycephalidae
This is a family of some 50+ species made up of a core group of whistlers, shrikethrushes, and the pitohuis. Also traditionally placed in the family is a mix of other species whose affinities lie elsewhere according to recent molecular systematic studies. The Goldenface has been moved to the Australasian Warblers. Four other oddballs are the aberrant Mottled Berryhunter, Rufous-naped and Piping Bellbirds, and Wattled Ploughbill; these we have classified into new families, which we have placed in front of the whistler family for convenience. The pitohuis were once all thought closely related, but that is not the case now—most still belong in the whistler family, but at least Piping Bellbird does not. The 4 species in the genus Pitohui, which a molecular study indicates are most closely related to orioles, are for the time being still classified with the whistlers.
Whistlers and allies are widespread in Australasia, with outlying species ranging west through Wallacea to the Philippines and S Asia, and eastward into Oceania. The New Guinea Region is the family’s center of distribution and radiation, with 22 species, and the family is represented everywhere, from small offshore islands through all types of mainland forest up to timberline. In general, the whistlers and allies are compact and robust birds, with powerful, hooked bills. Most species are insectivorous, taking arthropods from bark or leaves in a deliberate fashion. Some eat fruit, and certain of the larger species may prey upon small vertebrates. Most are behaviorally unglamorous but conspicuously vocal, with loud, varied, and attractive whistled songs. The pitohuis have become famous for being among the few birds poisonous to eat, thanks to a type of small beetle in their diet from which a toxin is taken up and sequestered in the bird’s tissues and feathers.
Little Shrikethrush Colluricincla megarhyncha |
(Rufous Shrikethrush, Myiolestes megarhynchus)
17–19 cm. Ubiquitous in forests and scrub of all sorts, from lowlands to mid-mountains. Great regional variation, with more subspecies than any other NG bird. Adult: A stocky, medium-sized, nondescript songbird modestly colored in shades of brown (or olive green in SE Is). Juv: Reddish-brown edges to wing-coverts and secondaries. Subspp (16): Following are 8 candidate species, each corresponding to an identified genetic lineage: (1) affinis (NW Is: Waigeo) above olive greyish brown, below pale buffy grey obscurely streaked and finely barred, bill grey-brown. (2) megarhyncha (Bird’s Head and Neck, S Lowlands, Aru Is) either rufous with pale brown bill (West) or like despecta but more evenly pale grey-rufous below, with throat mottling very obscure (East). (3) normani (Trans-Fly, N AU) like despecta but has cream throat and is evenly bright pale rufous below, with little or no streaking or darker neck; pale bill. (4) despecta (SE Pen) above olive brown, below greyish rufous with pale greyish chin and throat mottled and streaked dark grey-olive, bill greyish brown. (5) fortis (SE Is: D’Entrecasteaux and Trobriand Is) above greenish olive with grey head, below grey with obscure streaking and yellowish undertail, bill black. (6) discolor (SE Is: Tagula I) above yellowish green with grey head, below dingy white with pronounced streaking. (7) tappenbecki (Sepik-Ramu, N Huon) inseparable from despecta and intergrades with obscura in West. (8) obscura (NW Lowlands) above olive or brownish grey, below greyish and streaked, bill black. Three island forms were not included in DNA analysis, of which misoliensis (NW Is: Misool) is like megarhyncha, and 2 are distinct and possibly separate species: (9) batantae (NW Is: Batanta) dark olive brown, paler below with heavy throat streaking, bill grey-brown. (10) melanorhyncha (Bay Is: Biak) above dark olive brown with rufous brown wings; below, including cheeks and ear-coverts, pale buff with darker breast band but no streaking; bill brownish grey; song suggests a whistler, not a shrikethrush. Similar spp: Sooty ST of mid-mountains is of similar size and shape but much darker. Tawny Straightbill has pointed bill, pinkish legs, and reddish iris. Grey Whistler has white eyebrow and throat. Rusty Whistler has grey cap, white throat. White-bellied Pitohui has restricted range and is larger and paler below. Other brown pitohuis are larger, lankier, and have specific field marks. Voice: Song (SE Pen) a series of 3–5 notes whistled, mellow on a moderate pitch: who-WHI-oo or uwih weeteeyou or hoot hootuWEEtu. Call is a loud, musical, liquid, downslurred note: dyoong or tchuck. Often answers loud, sudden noises. Habits: Solitary or in pairs. Sedentary and probably territorial. Usually in understory but occasionally into canopy, foraging for arthropods in branches and leaves, or rummaging about in clumps of dead leaves. Feeds on insects and other invertebrates, rarely fruit. Nest 1–2 m up in branches of a sapling or vine tangle; nest a large, messy bowl of dead leaves and stems sparingly bound together with fiber. Eggs (2) whitish with plentiful dark spots and blotches. Range: NG, NW Is (Batanta, Misool, Salawati, Waigeo), Bay Is (Biak, Yapen), Aru Is, and SE Is (3 main D’Entrecasteaux Is, Trobriand Is, Tagula I), 0–1800 (2300) m. Also AU. Taxonomy: Sorely in need of taxonomic revision. This is actually a complex of species, as convincingly demonstrated by a molecular systematic study that identified 8 lineages so divergent they would represent separate species or genera in other birds. These look-alike shrikethrush lineages are distributed in a mosaic pattern across the region; however, a few cannot as yet be separated by plumage or song, and some seem to intergrade. Research is needed to corroborate and define any proposed breakup of the Little Shrikethrush. Candidate species are given in the Subspp section.
Sooty Shrikethrush Colluricincla tenebrosa |
(Sooty Whistler, Pachycephala tenebrosa or umbrina)
18–19 cm. Rare and local in mid-mountain forest. Very poorly known. Shy, elusive; skulks in shrubbery and thickets. Above the elevational range of Little ST. Adult: A robust, dark bird, entirely brownish black. Same shape and size as Little ST, but tail longer. Similar spp: Black Pitohui larger, hooked stout bill, plumages either sooty black or grey-brown. Little ST not nearly so dark. Voice: Little known. Alarm call a loud, metallic huija. Habits: Solitary or in pairs. Perches and watches for prey for long periods. Takes insects. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG: W, Border, and E Ranges as far as Schrader Mts, 1450–2150 m.
Grey Shrikethrush Colluricincla harmonica |
23 cm. A bird of savannahs, towns, and open lowland country, following human settlement into highlands. Best known for its powerful and musical song. Medium-sized, grey, with white face and belly; note distinctive white highlighting on lores, eyebrow, and throat, and contrasting dark eye. Male: Dark bill, immaculate underparts. Female: Bill greyish, underparts obscurely streaked. Juv: More heavily streaked underparts, rufous wash on wings. Subspp (1): superciliosa (also AU). Similar spp: The larger, open-country bowerbirds and figbirds are brownish, and with brownish/yellowish or streaked underparts, respectively. Cuckooshrikes are differently shaped, usually have black in the face, and typically are seen in the canopy. Voice: A noted songster. Song highly varied, consists of loud, ringing notes; song pattern is whistler-like, slowly delivered with strong emphasis on certain notes, often the last note, e.g., du du du du du du DYO! Habits: Singly or in pairs. Forages in deliberate whistler fashion for invertebrates, small vertebrates, and fruit; visits all levels in the trees and descends to the ground. Breeds in pairs. Nest placed a few meters up in a small tree; nest a bulky cup of twigs, grass, and other materials. Eggs (2–3) white with dark spots and blotches. Range: E NG, westward to Trans-Fly and Sepik-Ramu, and locally in interior valleys of E Ranges, 0–1700 m. Also AU.
Rusty Pitohui Pseudorectes ferrugineus |
(Pitohui or Colluricincla ferrugineus)
25–28 cm. Common in lowland and hill forest. In small groups, often associated with mixed-species flocks. Adult: A large, rusty brown pitohui with staring white eye. Juv: Eye dark. Subspp (5, in 3 groups): ferrugineus (W and N NG) black bill, plumage uniform rusty; clarus (eastern S Lowlands, SE Pen, Huon) black bill, pale ochre breast; leucorhynchus (NW Is: Batanta, Waigeo) yellowish bill, uniform dark rusty. Similar spp: Associates with other rufous insectivores: Papuan Babbler has smaller head, longer yellow bill; Piping Bellbird has dark eye, bushy crest; shrikethrushes are smaller, dark-eyed; Black Cicadabird female has fine bill, dark eye. Voice: Contact calls range from simple tieu notes to various loud, strongly ascending, repeated musical phrases, e.g., hoodleee followed by hollow repeated notes kyo kyo kyo…. Alarm call, a repeated, harsh, rasping note. Habits: In pairs or groups, members usually scattered but keeping in contact by calling. Conspicuous, but wary. Foraging birds range from understory into the canopy. Bird pauses to look around before actively gleaning insects and fruit. Nest built a few meters up in a forked sapling; nest a bulky cup of sticks and stems. Egg (1) pinkish grey marked with a some darker spots. Range: Endemic. NG, NW Is (Batanta, Misool, Salawati, Waigeo), Bay Is (Yapen), and Aru Is, 0–1000 m.
White-bellied Pitohui Pseudorectes incertus |
(Pitohui or Colluricincla incertus)
22–23 cm. A local inhabitant of the riverine floodplain forest that winds through high-rainfall areas of the S Lowlands; common in this restricted habitat and absent from adjoining lowland forest. In shy, noisy groups, often joined by other species. Adult: Pale and tan. Belly dingy white. Dark beady eye prominent against the pale face. Pale bill. Larger than a Little Shrikethrush but smaller than other pitohuis. (Eye color variable, from dark to medium brown, and may relate to age and sex.) Juv: No information. Similar spp: Little Shrikethrush darker and more uniformly colored; solitary rather than gregarious. Rusty P juv also has dark eye, but note black bill and lanky shape. Grey Shrikethrush similar yet grey, does not co-occur. Voice: Song is a lovely, bubbling duet, the leader singing a loud, rapid, mellow, whistled phrase at medium pitch, similar in quality to the voice of the Little Shikethrush and repeated several times. The follower sings a shorter phrase, high pitched, louder, and more piercing. Call resembles that of King Bird of Paradise: 5 or more downslurred notes, repeated 2/sec, the series is constant in pitch or ascends. Habits: Travels in noisy parties of 3–6 in midstory where the canopy is open and viny tangles are dense. May be joined by other species to form mixed-species flocks. Actively forages for insects and fruit. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG: S Lowlands, from northwest (Lorentz) R eastward to Fly R, 0–100 m.
Black Pitohui Melanorectes nigrescens |
(Pitohui nigrescens)
22–23 cm. Uncommon in the mountains in a rather narrow elevational band straddling the lower limit of the cloud forest. Note large, heavy, strongly hooked, black bill. In shape, posture, and movements, the bird suggests a giant whistler rather than a pitohui or shrikethrush. Male: All sooty black. Female: Brown, varying from greyish brown to rufous brown. Juv: Brown? Subspp (5, in 2 groups): nigrescens (Bird’s Head) Female with greyish cap; schistaceus (rest of range) uniform rufous- or grey-brown, depending on locality. Similar spp: Amblyornis bowerbird females are similarly colored to Female Black P, but stockier and with shorter tails and thicker, more tapered, brownish bills without the hooked tip; they never sally. Sooty Shrikethrush is stockier, browner, and smaller than Male Black P. Pygmy Drongo perches upright and is largely confined to lower elevations. Voice: Songs vary geographically, and each individual has several songs. These can be a series of breezy upslurs or downslurs; a rising series of 10 staccato, medium-pitched kwik notes; and a low mellow whistle that sweeps upscale and is repeated every 4 sec. Call a buzzy, inflected whurr? or wheet? Flies with audible wingbeats. Habits: Forages singly or in pairs, ranges broadly from the ground to lower canopy, usually in the midstory. Not shy. Sluggish; looks about from its perch before moving on. Gleans and sallies insects and spiders. Nest a cup of fern leaves and rootlets in a tree. Eggs (1–2) maroon or pink, spotted and blotched. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head and Neck (Fakfak and Wandammen Mts), Central Ranges, Foja Mts, and Huon, 1600–2200 m (1000–2600 m). Taxonomy: Allied with whistlers rather than other pitohuis.
The Whistlers. The 14 species of the New Guinea Region fall into 7 groups in their ecological distributions. Six are forest species that approximately replace each other with altitude. From the lowlands to high elevations, they are Grey, Rusty, Sclater’s, Regent, and Lorentz’s and Brown-backed Whistlers. Of the 2 species of highest elevation, Lorentz’s is confined to the West, Brown-backed to the East. The 6 species also differ in vertical distribution within the forest, especially where they overlap elevationally: Lorentz’s, Brown-backed, and Grey forage high in the canopy; Rusty, Sclater’s, and Regent from the undergrowth to the canopy. The last mainland forest species, Vogelkop Whistler, is small and confined to the Bird’s Head (and possibly Foja Mts). There are 2 nonforest mainland species: Golden-backed Whistler of low second growth, shrubs, and cane grass in the East, and Black-headed and White-bellied Whistlers in savannah and open woodland where other whistler species are absent. The last mainland species is the extremely range-restricted Baliem Whistler, known only from the Baliem Valley in the Western Ranges; it inhabits mid-mountain and lower cloud forest and second growth below the elevational range of Regent W. The remaining 3 species are virtually confined to islands—Island Whistler on small islands in the West, Mangrove Golden Whistler in mangroves on small islands in the East, and Louisiade Whistler on midsize SE Is.
Regent Whistler Pachycephala schlegelii
(Schlegel’s Whistler)
15–16 cm. Common in cloud forest and subalpine shrubbery. Mostly above the elevational range of Sclater’s W, and in West shares habitat with Lorentz’s W and, locally, with Baliem W. Male: Broad, black breast band, orange-brown breast patch, large yellow nape patch. White throat patch relatively small. Female: Grey head; chin speckled pale grey-and-white and separated by grey border from olive breast band. Juv: Mainly rufous brown. Imm: Like Female but retaining some rufous, especially in wing. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Lorentz’s W resembles Female Regent and shares habitat, but it the lacks olive-green border between grey bib and yellow belly. Baliem and Sclater’s Ws females lack grey head and bib. Voice: An inveterate singer. Song similar to other whistlers but distinguished by characteristic slurred notes and unmusical sounds resembling lip-smacking, kissing, or meowing. These strange notes and whistles are repeated in loud swelling series. Common song: whi-whi-whi, tu, tu, tu, tu, tu. But much geographic variation. Call is a faint ss. Habits: Solitary or in pairs, alone or in mixed-species flocks. Forages in middle and upper stories of forest and in shrubbery at timberline. Hops slowly along limbs searching for stationary insect prey. Often 2 or more Males will confront each other and counter-sing, expanding the bright yellow nape patch. Nest, no information. Eggs (2) white with dark spots. Range: Endemic. NG: nearly all mts (no records for Kumawa and Adelbert Mts), 1700–3650 m (not as high in West where Regent overlaps with Lorentz’s W).
Sclater’s Whistler Pachycephala soror |
(Hill Golden Whistler)
15 cm. Common in mid-mountain forest. Overlaps with Grey and Rusty Ws (these at lower elevations) and Regent W (higher). In W Ranges, lives at lower elevations than Baliem W. Male: Resembles male golden whistlers but lacks yellow hind-collar. Female: Duller version of Male, with grey-brown cap and broad olive breast band that merges with yellow breast; lacks extensive grey on the head. Juv: Mostly chestnut brown. Imm: Similar to Female but shows some rusty Juv feathering in wings and tail. Subspp (4, in 2 groups): soror (all of range except that of next race) Male head black with thick, black breast band, and tail color varies from black or mostly black to mostly green in SE Pen; octogenarii (Bird’s Neck: Fakfak and possibly Kumawa Mts) Male head grey with thin breast band. Similar spp: Males of Mangrove Golden and Baliem Ws have yellow hind-collars; females not safely separable except by habitat and locale. Regent W female has a grey head and grey-mottled throat patch bordered by a grey collar and thick olive breast band. Voice: Song a loud and ringing whistled series, varied and usually ending in a loud crescendo; a series of 4–15 notes, such as chink-chink-chink-chink-CHINK or wu-weet wu-weet wu-weet twee-twee-twet-tweet-weet weet—WEET, increasing in volume but remaining on the same pitch. Also a piping whistle. Contact call a weak zweet? Habits: Singly or in pairs. Often in mixed-species flocks with scrubwrens and other small insectivores. Moderately active but inconspicuous except when singing. Gleans insects from medium-sized branches in forest midstory. Nests a few meters up on a sapling branch; nest a small cup of stems, leaves, moss. Eggs (1–2) pinkish white with dark blotches. Range: Endemic. NG and Goodenough I (SE Is: D’Entrecasteaux Is), 1100–1900 m (600–2200 m). NG: all ranges except Wandammen, Foja, Cyclops, and N Coastal Mts.
Louisiade Whistler Pachycephala collaris |
(formerly under Golden Whistler, P. pectoralis, or Bismarck Whistler, P. citreogaster)
15–16 cm. Coastal forest and scrub on certain small to midsize SE Is, where scarce. Louisiade, Baliem, and Mangrove Golden Whistlers are nearly identical but are separated by habitat and range. The Males share yellow nape and breast, and the drab Females, a whitish throat, tan breast band, and yellow breast. Louisiade W differs by its much longer bill and green tail. Subspp (2): collaris (species range except next); rosseliana (Rossel I) Female bill brown, underparts somewhat buffy. Similar spp: Mangrove Golden W, also in SE Is, has not been found on the same islands as Louisiade W; it has silvery margins to the wings and a blackish tail. Voice: Similar to other golden whistlers. Habits: Typical of other golden whistlers. Nest is a cup of small twigs decorated with dead leaves. Eggs (1–2) pale pinkish grey with dark spots. Range: Endemic. SE Is, including Alcester (Nasikwabu), Egum, Kimuta, and Rossel Is; plus Bonvouloir, Calavados, Conflict, Deboyne, and possibly Engineer groups, 0–300 m. Taxonomy: Molecular systematics has shown the Louisiade Whistler to be genetically divergent from the rest of the golden whistler group.
Baliem Whistler Pachycephala balim |
(formerly under Common Golden Whistler, Pachycephala pectoralis)
15–16 cm. Known only from the Baliem Valley (W Ranges) where it is found in mid-montane and cloud forest and in pockets of second-growth forest and stands of casuarina in a widely cleared landscape. Apparently lives above the elevational range of Sclater’s W and below that of Regent W. Both sexes of Baliem W have green edges to the wing feathers (these are silvery grey in Mangrove GW) and a short bill. Male: Differs from co-occuring male Sclater’s by yellow hind-collar. Thick black breast band and black tail (tail same for Mangrove GW, but green in Louisiade W). Female: Similar to female Sclater’s and Louisiade Ws. Juv: Much rufous brown. Imm: Similar to Female but may retain brownish Juv wing feathers. Similar spp: Louisiade W occupies SE Is; Mangrove Golden W inhabits both NG mangroves and SE Is forest. Sclater’s W also in W Ranges but at lower elevations; male lacks yellow collar; female may not be distinguishable. Voice: Not known, but probably similar to Mangrove Golden and Sclater’s Ws. Habits: Similar to other golden whistlers, but in different habitat. Nest, no information. Range: Endemic. NG: W Ranges (Baliem Valley), 1600–2400 m. Taxonomy: Molecular systematics indicate this relictual NG population is a distinct species.
Mangrove Golden Whistler Pachycephala melanura |
(Black-tailed Whistler)
16–17 cm. Locally common in mangroves and other types of inundated coastal forest on mainland NG and in forest and scrub on small SE Is. Differs from Louisiade W in silvery grey (not green) margins to secondaries. Male: Tail always black (not green). Female: Grey-tan breast band and tail partly black. Underparts vary from bright yellow like Male’s to quite pale (along S coast). Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Louisiade W (green tail) occurs only on large islands not occupied by Mangrove Golden. Baliem W lives only in mountains. Sclater’s W lives in mountains, not coast; male lacks yellow hind-collar; female has olive-brown (not grey-tan) breast band. Voice: Song is a series of loud, clear disyllables, the first note much soft er and shorter than the second, which is louder, longer, whipped, and upslurred. Series comprise 2–3 disyllables that are repeated irregularly. Habits: Usually solitary. Stolid insect gleaner on midstory limbs and deep in thickets. Keeps to cover when near ground and then diffi cult to observe. Nests in an upright branch fork; nest an untidy cup of twigs, vine stems, leaves, grass. Eggs (2) white or buff, spotted with red-brown. Range: NG (Bintuni Bay; coastal Trans-Fly to SE Pen and Huon to Madang) and SE Is (Fergusson, Normanby, and small, offshore islands), sea level. Also AU, Bismarck Is, and Solomon Is. Taxonomy: DNA studies have confirmed this species as separate from Louisiade Whistler.
Golden-backed Whistler Pachycephala aurea |
15–16 cm. Specialist of second growth and tall cane bordering rivers and lakes. Patchily distributed in foothills and nearby lowlands, seldom found in mountains. Common where found. Golden back. Adult: Unique among whistlers for its black-and-gold pattern. White throat patch reduced, nearly absent in some birds. Imm: Similar to Adult but with olive wash. Similar spp: Other, similar whistlers, such as Sclater’s W or Mangrove Golden W, have a green back. Also compare with Golden Cuckooshrike and Golden Monarch. Voice: Song an accelerating series of short, high-pitched, whipped, upslurred, whistled notes at a rate of 2 notes/sec. Habits: Oft en in pairs. Inhabits large-leaved shrubs and small trees, 3–7 m above ground. Sometimes in tall riverine cane grass. At Garaina, in albizia shade trees in tea plantations. Similar to golden whistlers in behavior. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG: S Lowlands, SE Pen, and Sepik-Ramu, 0–1460 m.
Vogelkop Whistler Pachycephala meyeri |
14–15 cm. Restricted montane range: Bird’s Head, plus a single sight record from the Foja Mts. Inhabits forest and thickets. Adult: Pale, buff-grey ear-coverts; same color patch on sides of breast, merges with pale yellowish abdomen. Grey cap, whitish throat. Small bill. Juv: No information. Similar spp: Other yellow whistlers are larger in size and have larger bills. Sclater’s W female has a dark grey-olive breast band. Regent W female has a dark green breast band; occurs mainly at higher elevations. Voice: Song a descending series of clear whistles, usually followed by an explosive upslurred note:
Habits: No information. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head and hypothetical for Foja Mts (possible sight record; further documentation needed), 970–1450 m. Taxonomy: Foja Mt population undescribed.
Lorentz’s Whistler Pachycephala lorentzi |
15–16 cm. Common in western cloud forest and subalpine scrub. Regent W also lives in cloud forest but does not extend as high in elevation where Lorentz’s is present. In habitat occupied by both, Lorentz’s lives in the canopy, Regent at lower heights. Adult: Like female Regent W, but lacks speckling on chin and lacks olive-green band between grey bib and dull yellow belly. Bill slightly smaller. Juv: Mostly rusty, inseparable from juv Regent. Imm: Similar to Adult or with white belly. Similar spp: Regent W female has olive-green border between grey bib and yellow belly. Baliem and Sclater’s Ws females have olive-brown breast bands, not grey. Voice: Song is a modest whistle, swit swit wit tu wit teo wit or whit weet tyuu repeated 3–5 times, each series increasing in volume. Habits: A typical whistler. Quite active, flicking tail and hopping from limb to limb in shrubbery. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG: W and Border Ranges (Victor Emanuel Range), 1750–2700 m.
Brown-backed Whistler Pachycephala modesta |
14 cm. Common in canopy of eastern cloud forest and subalpine scrub. Note small size. Adult: Dark brown upperparts, white throat; breast ranges from off-white (E) to pale grey (W); note grey crown, visible in good light. Juv: Rufous brown. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Grey Gerygone much smaller. No other canopy insectivore in montane forest has entirely clear white or pale grey underparts. Voice: Song typical of a whistler, soft, pleasant, and more complex than that of co-occurring Regent W; consists of some 20 notes, lasting 8 or more sec. Begins with rising, whistled wheet notes, the first 4 successively lower pitched, subsequent syllables alternate in pitch, the phrase ending with 2 explosive notes, CHIEW! CHIEW! Habits: Solitary or in pairs. Inconspicuous if not for its song. Forages in the treetops by hopping slowly but steadily on upper limbs and branches; takes insects from branches and foliage by gleaning or sallying and hovering. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG Border Ranges (Hindenberg Range) eastward to SE Pen and Huon, 1750–3500 m (descends lower locally).
Island Whistler Pachycephala phaionota |
16–17 cm. Only on tiny islets of Indonesia where it occupies all wooded habitats. Adult: A brown whistler with greyish head, white throat, and dull white underparts washed greyish tan. Juv: Top and sides of head olive brown. Similar spp: None in its habitat. Voice: Song is a loud weet-chut-wweeeee. Habits: Frequents understory. Feeds on insects. No nesting information. Range: NW Is (Kofiau, Misool, Salawati, Wai, Schildpad, Sorong, Waigeo—probably absent from large islands and instead found on nearby small offshore islets), Bay Is (Rani), and Aru Is (Pulau Babi and smaller islands), sea level. Also E Wallacea.
Rusty Whistler Pachycephala hyperythra |
15 cm. Hill forest midstory; locally distributed, often common and conspicuously vocal where present. Adult: Brown with tan or orange-tan underparts. Grey cap, white or pale grey throat. Juv: Largely rufous. Subspp (4, in 3 groups): hyperythra (Bird’s Head to western S Lowlands) rufous brown above, pale tan below, indistinct throat patch; sepikiana (NW Lowlands to Sepik-Ramu) olive brown above, bright orange-tan below; salvadorii (eastern S Lowlands, Huon, SE Pen) grey-brown above, tan below. Similar spp: Little Shrikethrush larger and lacks contrasting white throat patch. Voice: Song diagnostic, most musical and varied of the whistlers. A typical whistler song, beginning with 1–8 clear, faint, bell-like or whistled notes in a crescendo terminating in explosive, usually repeated slurs: whik! whik! Contact call is a pair of mournful notes on same or different pitch: tooi or tu-ee. Habits: Solitary or in pairs. Hops along branches and gleans in typical whistler fashion. Feeds on insects. Nest (location?) bowl-shaped, made of leaves of small climbing ferns, moss, and tendrils. Eggs (2) pinkish grey with dark spots. Range: Endemic. NG, lower slopes nearly throughout (no records Fakfak, Kumawa, Cyclops, and Adelbert Mts, and N slope of SE Pen), 600–1300 m.
Grey Whistler Pachycephala simplex |
(Brown Whistler for simplex group and Grey-headed Whistler for griseiceps group)
14–15 cm. The only whistler in lowland forest and regrowth, where common. Extends up into the hills and lower mountains where it overlaps with Rusty W and at the top of its elevational range meets Sclater’s W. Inconspicuous, but vocal and unwary. A small, dainty whistler. Adult: Plain, except for diagnostic pale eyebrow and pale throat. Juv: Largely rufous (but showing the pale eyebrow?). Subspp (6, in 2 groups): griseiceps (most of NG range and E AU) olive with pale yellowish belly and flanks, greyish cap; simplex (includes dubia of SE Pen and simplex of N AU) brown above, white washed with brown below. Similar spp: Gerygone warblers similarly colored, but much smaller and more active. Rusty Whistler has well-defined white throat patch, lacks white eyebrow, and is evenly tan or yellowish orange below. Voice: Habitually sings in the middle of the day when most other birds are quiet. The song is a pleasant, varied warble, distinctive for its flexibility of tempo. Tempo shifts back and forth between faster and slower, and volume between louder and softer, with notes rising and falling below a standard pitch; hoo hee ho hoo, TYU! TYU! Also a melodious chirping unmistakable once learned. The pattern consists of alternation between a monosyllabic, slightly upslurred chirp and a disyllabic chip with flexibility of tempo and volume. Habits: Solitary or less often in pairs. Regularly joins mixed-species groups of gerygones, fantails, and monarchs. Forages from the midstory to lower canopy. Stolid, casually searches on small limbs and in leaves for insects and spiders. Nest built in branches of midstory tree; nest is a cup of various plant materials (AU data). Eggs (2) whitish with dark spotting. Range: NG, NW Is (Batanta, Gag, Gebe, Misool, Salawati, Waigeo), Bay Is (Mios Num, Yapen), Aru Is, and SE Is (3 main D’Entrecasteaux Is and Tagula I), 0–1450 m. Also AU and Kai Is. Taxonomy: Some authorities split the species into 2, the Brown and Grey-headed Whistlers.
Black-headed Whistler Pachycephala monacha |
15–16 cm. In widely scattered populations associated with human settlement. A loud songster in tall trees of open habitats, such as casuarinas, typically in hills and mid-mountain valleys, rarely in lowlands and along coast. Hybridizes with White-bellied W, producing birds with intermediate plumage. Male: Black with white lower breast and belly. Female: Same pattern in dark grey and white. Juv: Rufous brown above, dingy white below. Subspp (2): monacha (Aru Is) upperparts brownish black; lugubris (NG) upperparts sooty black. Similar spp: Satin Flycatcher male is more slender and vibrates tail up and down. Willie Wagtail larger, with longer tail and different behavior and voice. Hooded Monarch in different habitat (forest interior), has grey bill and longer tail. Voice: Song a typical loud, whistler repertoire, clear and whistled with explosive notes, for example: hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-WHIT; wi teur teur wee TYUR. Habits: Usually in pairs. Active, vocal, and conspicuous in upper branches and foliage where it gleans insects from twigs and foliage. Nest built on branch in tree crown; a substantial cup of plant material. Eggs, no information. Range: Endemic. NG and Aru Is. NG: Central Ranges and Huon; also lowlands at foot of N Coastal Mts and coastal western S Lowlands, 0–1750 m.
White-bellied Whistler Pachycephala leucogastra |
(Rufous Whistler, P. rufiventris)
14–15 cm. Scarce in its localized distribution in E NG but common on Rossel I (SE Is). Occurs in open-wooded habitats on the mainland and also in closed forest on Rossel. Hybridizes with Black-headed W in vicinity of Port Moresby. Male: Unique—black hood, white throat and breast, grey back. Female: Grey with whitish or dingy grey throat; grey breast band, whitish breast and belly. Juv: Grey above, white below with distinct dark streaking, white eye-ring. Imm male: Resembles Female but often with indistinct black breast band. Subspp (2): leucogastra (NG mainland) Male upperparts paler grey, side of breast white, and Female with whitish breast, Juv pale grey; meeki (SE Is: Rossel) Male upperparts darker, side of breast grey, Female with breast washed buff, Juv washed with buff. Similar spp: Mangrove Robin similar to Female whistler but lacks grey breast band. Voice: Song a series of clear whistles followed by a sharp, explosive whip-crack; for example, pee pee pee, joey joey joey, eeeeCHONG. Habits: Solitary or in pairs. Vocal resident of crown foliage in scrub, mangroves, eucalypt savannah, rubber plantations, and other open habitats of coastal lowlands; also primary forest on Rossel. Nests high in a tree in disturbed habitat; nest a cup of plant material. Eggs (2) undescribed. Range: Endemic. NG and Rossel (SE Is), 0–1200 m. NG: Sepik-Ramu, SE Pen (Purari Delta and Port Moresby area). Taxonomy: Has been classified as a subsp of Rufous Whistler (P. rufiventris) of AU or possibly a race of Black-headed W, even including the Wallacean Whistler (P. arctitorquis).
Northern Variable Pitohui Pitohui kirhocephalus |
20–25 cm. Lowland and hill forest, common at edge and in second growth, less so in primary forest. Striking geographic variation; usually separable from Southern Variable P either by grey head, wings, and tail or by all rusty-brown plumage. However, the local Wandammen form is black and chestnut and resembles Southern Variable and Hooded P, see details below. This species possesses toxic feathers and skin. Bill grey-brown (black in race dohertyi). Eye color variable, from dark red to dark brown, likely an indicator of age and sex. Adults usually alike, although in some subspecies the Female is duller, plainer. Juv differences, if any, unknown. Subspp (9, in 4 groups): kirhocephalus (eastern Bird’s Head and Bird’s Neck except Wandammen Pen) grey head, wings, tail; dohertyi (Wandammen Pen) black head, wings, tail; jobiensis (NW Lowlands east to Vanimo, plus Yapen I) all rufous brown; brunneicaudus (Sepik-Ramu) like western grey-headed group but underparts paler. Similar spp: Southern Variable P range meets Northern Variable’s on Bird’s Head and Bird’s Neck; here Southern is always black and chestnut, whereas Northern is grey and chestnut (black-and-chestnut Wandammen subsp not in contact with Southern). Hooded P’s black-and-rufous pattern resembles only the Wandammen subsp of Northern Variable, which has brown uppertail-coverts and is a near-perfect match but larger, and some individuals show grey instead of black. Rusty P very similar to NW form of Northern Variable but has pale eye. Voice: Songs (or calls?) are variable, loud, bubbly, jumbled series of gurgling whistles, interspersed with scratchy catlike sounds, often delivered by 2–3 birds together. Sound confusingly like Hooded P, but often more scratchy. In Sepik-Ramu, these begin with softer, shorter phrases and end with longer, louder phrases, suggestive of a Helmeted Friarbird, oriole, or Hooded P. Dawn duet: one bird calls a whistled upslur, the second replies with a tup. Habits: In pairs or small groups, often joining mixed-species flocks. Shy, difficult to view well. Habits similar to Hooded P. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG and Yapen (Bay Is), 0–1100 (1500) m. NG: Bird’s Head and Neck, NW Lowlands to N Huon. Taxonomy: The original Variable Pitohui is now 3 species, this one and the next two.
Raja Ampat Pitohui Pitohui cerviniventris |
20–21 cm. Waigeo and Batanta Is (NW Is) only. A small, insular pitohui. Adult: Unique pattern—pale brownish-grey head and upperparts; underparts tan-brown. Juv: No information. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Color pattern differs from Hooded and both variable pitohuis, neither of which occurs on these islands. Voice: No information. Habits: Presumably similar to related pitohuis. Range: Endemic. NW Is (Batanta, Gam, Waigeo), presumably throughout. Taxonomy: Split from Variable Pitohui (P. kirhocephalus).
Southern Variable Pitohui Pitohui uropygialis |
22–25 cm. Southern counterpart of Northern Variable P. Note disjunct distribution: W Bird’s Head and S Lowlands, divided at the Bird’s Neck by Northern Variable P. This species also with striking geographic variation; usually separable from Northern Variable P by either black head, wings, and tail, or these parts dusky brown. (One subsp of Northern is black and chestnut but does not co-occur with Southern.) Black-headed forms of Southern always have black uppertail-coverts, unlike the black-headed Northern Variable and Hooded Ps. Bill black. Eye color variable as in other pitohuis, likely an indicator of age and sex. Subspp (6): 4 groups. uropygialis (Misool, Salawati, W Bird’s Head) black with chestnut back, breast, belly; aruensis (western S Lowlands, plus Aru Is) black with chestnut back, flanks, belly; brunneiceps (eastern S Lowlands) dusky brown head, wings, and tail, brown body; meridionalis (southern SE Pen) black head, wings, and tail, body rufous tan. Similar spp: See Northern Variable P and Hooded P. Voice: Resembles Northern Variable P, but the means to distinguish the two has not yet been worked out. Habits: Similar to Northern Variable P. Also toxic. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG, NW Is (Misool, Salawati) and Aru Is, 1–1000 m. NG: western Bird’s Head (absent from Bird’s Neck), S Lowlands, and southern SE Pen to Milne Bay. Taxonomy: Split from Variable Pitohui (P. kirhocephalus).
Hooded Pitohui Pitohui dichrous |
22–23 cm. Common and adaptable in mid-mountain forests, second growth, and gardens, from understory to canopy. Its bold plumage serves as warning that the bird is poisonous to eat. Eye color variable, from dark red to dark brown, likely related to age and sex. Adult: A strikingly patterned, orange-brown bird with black head, wings, and tail. Note brown uppertail-coverts, to separate from other black-and-brown pitohuis, see Similar spp. Juv: Same except for brownish edges to black throat feathers. Similar spp: Certain races of Southern Variable P and Northern Variable P are nearly identical but usually have black on uppertail-coverts and are slightly larger, and only the race dohertyi of the Northern Variable always has brown uppertail-coverts. The mimic races of Southern occur on SE Pen, W Bird’s Head, and the NW Is of Misool, and Salawati (where Hooded is absent). Voice: Bird’s name is a rough transcription of the call, pi-to-hui? A variety of soft and melodious calls, for instance a low mournful koo-koo oh often followed by a guttural schk ggh; or a higher kuukuu koh WEEoh WEEoh weeii?, the last notes on an ascending scale. When several birds assemble, the calls may be jumbled together. Usually delivered from thick vegetation, out of view. Voice similar but less scratchy than that of variable pitohuis. Wings make distinctive fluttering sound in flight. Habits: In pairs or small groups; known to be a cooperative breeder. A generalist forager gleaning small fruits, insects, and spiders. Nest built in tree is a cup woven of vine tendrils. Eggs (1–2) creamy with grey patches marked by dark spots and blotches. Range: Endemic. Probably all NG mts (no record from Kumawas) and Yapen I (Bay Is), mainly 600–1700 m, but descends to sea level in absence of variable pitohuis.
The 33 species of shrikes are predominantly African and Eurasian. Two species have been recorded from New Guinea—one a resident, the other a vagrant from SE Asia. Shrikes are predatory songbirds with strong, hooked bills. They typically wait for long periods on exposed perches in open habitat, swooping down to capture large insects and small vertebrates. Shrikes are often vocal and usually found alone or in pairs. The nest is a deep woven cup placed in reeds or shrubs. Both parents attend the nest.
Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus |
18 cm. Palearctic vagrant to open habitats during austral summer. Adult: A pale brown-and-grey bird with striking black mask framed above by white eyebrow and below by white throat. Juv: Similar but duller and greyer; breast and flanks marked with fine, dark scaling. Subspp (1): lucionensis (breeds far E Asia, winters SE China to Philippines). Similar spp: Long-tailed S is larger, and adult has black cap, wings, and tail; juv lacks white eyebrow; all ages show pale wing patch—white in adult, buff in juv. Habits: Similar to Long-tailed S. Range: NG: 1 record from Bird’s Head. Breeds over much of Asia, winters in southern Asia, Sunda Is, and Philippines, rarely in eastern Wallacea.
Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach |
(Black-capped or Schach Shrike)
25 cm. Common resident in mid-mountain and alpine grassy clearings and gardens. Adult: A black-capped shrike with russet back; wings and tail are patterned black and white. Juv: Paler and duller with black mask and fine, dark scaling above and below. Subspp (1): stresemanni (NG). Similar spp: See Brown S, a vagrant. Voice: Song is beautiful and melodious, a series of whistled notes interspersed with grating ones, reminiscent of a reed-warbler. Mimics other birds. Call is a harsh, repeated buzzing note, tchick, tchick, tchick … or grennh, grennh, grennh…. Habits: Conspicuous, but wary and easily flushed. Singly or in pairs. Frequents open perches from which it drops down to capture prey. Nest built ~1.5 m up in cane grass or shrub branches among cane; nest a cup of fine grass stems. Eggs (2) pale blue with dark spots. Range: Central and eastern NG: Border and E Ranges, Huon, and northern SE Pen (Telefomin to Woitape), 800–2700 m. Also India to China, to Sunda Is and Philippines.
ORIOLES AND FIGBIRDS: Oriolidae
The oriole family probably originated in Australasia, yet the majority of its 34 species inhabit Asia and Africa, with only 4 in the New Guinea Region. (Recent molecular systematic studies indicate that the genus Pitohui may also be a close relative of the orioles.) Orioles are medium-large, arboreal fruit eaters with throaty, melodious songs. They inhabit forests and open wooded country from the lowlands to mid-mountains. Orioles forage singly or in pairs in treetops for fruit and some insects, and they join feeding assemblages at popular fruit trees. The nest is a pendent cup, often far out on a branch, or a simple cup positioned in a tree fork.
Australasian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti |
(Figbird, S. viridis)
27 cm. Locally common in open wooded habitats and towns. A noisy and social, short-billed oriole with bare skin around the eye. Male: Unique—yellow-green with black head and reddish facial skin. White outer tail feathers conspicuous in flight. Female and Juv: Dull olive grey above, whitish below and heavily streaked; dark beady eye surrounded by grey facial skin. Imm male: Like Adult but with streaked breast. Subspp (1): salvadorii (endemic). Similar spp: Brown Oriole has a large blackish ear patch, streaked head, buff (not white) belly, and red bill (black in Imm). Fawn-breasted Bowerbird is buff-brown without the heavy streaking below. Voice: Song is a series of a few whistles followed by a louder downslur. Call is a squeaky, emphatic, nasal upslur: chyer! suggestive of a Singing Starling. Habits: Usually in groups or flocks; roosts communally. Flocks shift about locally. Often perches in the open; conspicuous. Forages for fruit in tree canopy, occasionally lower; particularly fond of figs. Also takes nectar and insects. Breeds as solitary pairs or in communities with 2–10 active nests in a single tree (AU data). Usually nests in simple pairs in AU, but sometimes with more Adults at the nest. Nest is an open cup suspended from a forked branch in a tree crown. Eggs (2–3) dull olive with dark spots (AU data). Range: NG: mainly SE Pen (Port Moresby area from Bereina to Kupiano in the South; also Alotau and Collingwood Bay); very locally in S Lowlands (Balimo), 0–50 m. Also AU and Moluccas (Kai Is). Taxonomy: Split from Green FB (S. viridis) and Wetar FB (S. hypoleucos).
Olive-backed Oriole Oriolus sagittatus |
25–28 cm. Locally common resident of Trans-Fly savannah, where it replaces the Brown O. (Some may be winter visitors from AU, but this needs confirmation.) Differs from Brown O by upperparts grey-olive and underparts white with sharp, dark streaking. Adult: Red iris and bill. Juv: Greyer; dark iris and bill, pale eyebrow, and buff edges to wing feathers. Subspp (1): magnirostris (endemic). Similar spp: Brown O has buff underparts (never white), black facial patch, and brown upperparts. Green O usually entirely washed greenish yellow. Voice: Songs are mellow, quick, and oft-repeated variations on the word “oriole,” e.g., oree oree ole or olio (AU data). Also mimics. Habits: Similar to Brown O but prefers eucalypt savannah and savannah/forest edge. Nests in a tree on a thin, forked branch; nest a woven basket of bark and fiber. Eggs (2–3) white with dark spots and blotches (AU data). Range: NG Trans-Fly, 0–100 m. Also AU.
Brown Oriole Oriolus szalayi |
25–28 cm. Common in forest canopy and regrowth, from lowlands into mid-mountains. Vocal but retiring—can be difficult to observe well. Adult: Grey-brown, with blackish face patch, much fine dark streaking on head and underparts, and a blood-red iris and bill. Juv: Prominent white eyebrow; bold black face; blackish iris and bill. Similar spp: Other orioles are greenish. Brown O, particularly the Juv, is deceptively similar to friarbirds, which lack streaking and have a more pointed, curved bill. Streak-headed Honeyeater has a shorter bill and unstreaked underparts, and a prominent malar stripe. Voice: A familiar voice of the lowland chorus. Song includes a variety of loud, musical, liquid warbles, for example (1) a gurgling series of descending notes ending in an ascending disyllable and (2) a slur that drops and rises in pitch while increasing then decreasing in volume. Subsong includes mimicry of other species. Habits: Singly or in pairs, less often in groups. Keeps high in the forest canopy, usually out of view. Consumes fruit and insects. Not a colonial breeder, but will nest in the same tree as a friarbird, presumably for protection. Nest suspended from a tree fork in the midstory or canopy; a cup made of bark strips. Eggs (1–2) pale brown with dark spots. Range: Endemic. NG and NW Is (Batanta, Misool, Salawati, Waigeo), 0–1500 m, rarely higher.
Green Oriole Oriolus flavocinctus |
(Yellow Oriole is the AU name, but a Neotropical species is also named Yellow Oriole.)
25–28 cm. Common in all wooded habitats within its limited Trans-Fly range. Adult: Yellow-green; dark wings and tail tipped white. Iris and bill red. (Rare grey morph, perhaps just a variant individual, is washed-out grey without any green or brown, yet is identical in plumage pattern.) Juv: Duller olive with heavier streaking; pale eyebrow; dark iris and bill. Subspp (1): muelleri (endemic, but doubtfully distinct). Similar spp: Olive-backed O is white below. Voice: Vocal all day long. Song is unusually loud, an oft-repeated, yodeling or bubbling series of 3–4 notes: yok yok yoddle; also harsh notes and a subsong with softly warbled notes (AU data). Habits: Similar to other orioles. May prefer denser habitats (monsoon forest, mangroves) than Olive-backed O. Nests on a thin, forked tree branch; a basket woven of bark, leaves, fiber. Eggs (2–3) whitish with dark spots and blotches (AU data). Range: NG (Trans-Fly) and Aru Is. Also AU and eastern Lesser Sunda Is.
This large family of about 100 species is widely distributed from Africa, through South and East Asia to the Philippines and Wallacea, to Australasia and Oceania. It is in the latter two regions where their center of diversity lies, particularly in New Guinea, with 24 species. The monarchs of New Guinea are a uniform group of small fly-catching insectivores colored in combinations of black, grey, brown, yellow, and white, typically with blue-grey bills. The Myiagra flycatchers can be quickly recognized by their nervously vibrating tails, but several of these species pose a significant problem in field identification. Monarchs are confined to forest habitats in lowland and lower montane forest, with only 1 inhabiting cloud forest. Most frequent the lower and middle stories of the forest. A few prefer mangroves or other open habitats. Three are Australian migrants. All spend much of each day searching for arthropod prey, which they capture by gleaning from their perch (all spp), hover-gleaning, or sallying (the flycatchers). Many species of monarchs join mixed-insectivore feeding parties. Monarch voices are conspicuous, with whistled songs and scratchy or buzzing call notes. Most breed as monogamous pairs and build tidy cup-shaped nests, often beautifully camouflaged with moss and lichen.
Biak Black Flycatcher Myiagra atra |
(Biak Flycatcher)
13–14 cm. In all types of forest, though most common in hilly country. Male: A small and entirely blue-black flycatcher. Female and Juv: Slate grey above; pale, dirty grey below. Similar spp: Shining F male is noticeably larger, shinier, and more square-headed; prefers scrub and mangroves, and the voice is distinctive; note orange mouth when it sings. Males of the two are superficially similar, females very different. Voice: Song has ventriloquial quality and begins with a short burst of typical Myiagra grating, zit-zit, followed by a tuneful sitseeu sitseeu sitseeu. Also tiu tiu tiu…. Call is a high note followed by a trill at slightly lower pitch. Habits: Singly or in pairs, often in mixed-species flocks. Forages in midstory and canopy. Nervous, flicking wings and shivering tail; erects small crest; changes perch continually. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. Bay Is (Biak and Numfor), 0–400 m.
Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula |
13–16 cm. Both a year-round NG resident and an AU migrant during austral winter. Locally common in open lowland habitats of all sorts: savannah, mangroves, forest clearings, settlements. Leaden is 1 of 3 flycatcher species that are difficult to separate, the other 2 being Broad-billed and Satin. Besides appearance, note differences in habitat and foraging height. Male: Dull, slaty blue-grey with white belly; note that the grey-white division cuts across from breast to wing in a slightly bulging line and meets the wing at a right angle. Female and Imm: Plain grey above, with pale cinnamon throat and breast; from Satin F, Female Leaden is paler with pale margins to the secondaries, noticeable on the folded wing; from Broad-billed F by the narrower bill. Juv: Grey-brown above with pale eyebrow and white streak across the scapulars; whitish below. Subspp (3): Races indistinguishable in the field; rubecula (breeds E AU; winters NG) larger, greyer; papuana (breeds mainland NG) smaller with paler underparts; sciurorum (SE Is) smallest and darker and more glossy. Similar spp: Satin F male is shiny black above, with concave separation of black and white on the breast, and the underside of tail feathers is blackish (not grey); female is darker with solidly colored wing (edges to secondaries not conspicuously paler) and underside of tail is dark brown-grey (not pale grey). Broad-billed F best separated by broader bill and more graduated tail. Voice: Song is a diagnostic wheeyu wheeyu wheeyu wheeyu, sweet and breezy. Call is a deep, slightly harsh, guttural zhirrp, singly or repeated. Habits: Singly or in territorial pairs. Very active. Forages in tree canopy and middle levels. Sallies from an open perch, taking both flying and stationary prey. In AU, often nests near Noisy Friarbird, presumably for protection from predators. Nest built in a tree crown; a tight cup of bark and other plant material bound with spiderwebs and decorated with a few pieces of lichen. Eggs (2–3) whitish with a ring of spots around the middle. Range: Breeds in NG (S Lowlands, Trans-Fly, SE Pen) and SE Is (D’Entrecasteaux Is of Fergusson and Normanby; Conflict Group; Misima, Tagula, and Rossel Is); AU migrants overwinter in Trans-Fly and probably elsewhere, 0–650 m. Also AU.
Broad-billed Flycatcher Myiagra ruficollis |
15–16 cm. A rare mangrove specialist; also locally in thickets along river oxbows; usually under cover and only a few meters above the ground or water, though forages into canopy. Adult: Resembles female Leaden F, less so female Satin F; distinguished by broad bill, tips of tail feathers not overlapping completely (graduated), glossy crown, and in Female more white in the outer 2 tail feathers. Female differs by paler throat and lores than either male Broad-billed or female Leaden. Juv: Plumage similar to juv Leaden; identify by structural differences and association with parents. Subspp (1): mimikae (NG Region, AU). Similar spp: Leaden F female is duller (not glossy) grey on head and upperparts, has narrower bill, and the tail tip is squared and completely overlapping (not graduated). Satin F female is darker with same structural differences. Voice: Song, hrinney hrinney hrinny, clear, far-carrying. Calls include theeoooo-uuu, and various churring and scratching sounds, similar to Leaden (AU data). Habits: Singly or in pairs. Foraging behavior similar to Leaden. Nest built a few meters up on a fork in mangroves; structure and eggs similar to Leaden. Range: NG (S coast from Mimika R to Port Moresby; Fly River) and Aru Is, sea level. Also AU and E Wallacea.
Satin Flycatcher Myiagra cyanoleuca |
15 cm. A rare, overwintering AU migrant to open country, forest edge, and other disturbed habitat, from lowlands to mid-mountain valleys. Perhaps mainly in passage in the South, overwintering in the North and mountains. Male: Glossy blue-black with clear white belly; note that the black-white division on the breast is concave, running under the wing at a sharp angle. Quivers its tail. Female: Resembles female Leaden F but is darker, somewhat glossy above, with solidly dark wings, and grey-brown undertail. Imm male: Similar to Female but many birds with a dark, smudgy breast band. (Juv plumage not seen in NG Region.) Similar spp: Leaden F male is dull grey, has a convex separation between the slaty throat and white breast; female is paler, not glossy above, and has a pale panel on the secondaries of the folded wing; in both sexes the underside of the tail is greyish (not blackish or dark brownish). Broad-billed is separated from Female Satin by structural differences—see that account. Hooded Monach has black “bib” and white border alongside the folded wing. Black-headed Whistler is more sluggish, chunkier. Voice: Call, zurp. Habits: Usually single. Fly-catches actively from tree at the forest edge at midstory level. Raises feathers of crown to form a peak. Range: NG (Jayapura area, Sepik-Ramu, and S Lowlands to SE Pen) and SE Is, 0–1400 m. Breeds AU, winters rarely as far as Bismarck Is.
Shining Flycatcher Myiagra alecto |
(Common Shining Flycatcher, Monarcha or Piezorhynchus alecto)
16–18 cm. Common in thickets near water in swamp forest, mangroves, and lowland second growth; in mountains, only in broad valleys; also occupies rainforest on islands, but does so less often on mainland. Forages from or just above ground. Reclusive but noisy; conspicuous when it flies. Male: Entirely shiny blue-black. Note angular head. Bright orange-red mouth shows when bird sings and displays. Female: Bright orange-rufous with black cap and white underparts (may be tinged). Imm male: Similar to Female but often with black sides of neck. Juv: Similar to Female, but cap dull brown-black. Subspp (5): Minor, Manam I and SE Is birds with paler upperparts. Similar spp: For Male, none on the mainland and most islands; Biak Black Flycatcher resembles co-occurring Shining but is smaller and tends to forage higher. For Female, Frilled Monarch female similar but has conspicuous blue eye-ring and rufous throat (not white). Voice: Song is a rapid trill of clear, whistled notes, swelling somewhat, all on 1 pitch or slightly rising; the slight crescendo is distinctive. Call is a rather short, low, buzzing yeannnNNN! Habits: Singly or in territorial pairs; occasionally joins mixed-species flocks. Actively gleans and hovers-and-snatches in the understory or shrubs along riverbanks. Raises crest; fans and jerks tail. Nests in a shady location on a thin branch 1–2 m above ground; nest a deep cup of tightly woven plant material, bound with spiderwebs and decorated with small pieces of lichen and bark. Eggs (2) pale green with dark spots. Range: Entire NG Region, except Rossel (SE Is) and no record from Mios Num (Bay Is), 0–1200 m. Also Moluccas and AU.
Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta |
(Paperbark Flycatcher, M. nana)
16–18 cm. Trans-Fly only, where common in savannah, edge of gallery forest, and scrub bordering rivers, entering sedge beds of riverside. Active, noisy, conspicuous. Hovers near ground while hunting, uttering distinctive call. Sweeps tail from side to side. Adult: Glossy blue-black above, white below, including throat. Juv: Similar but duller and shows white wing bars and streak across scapulars. Subspp (1): nana (also N AU). Similar spp: Willie Wagtail has a black throat. Satin and Leaden Fs also have black throats, are much smaller, and forage from trees. Voice: Song (AU data) is a clear, repeated whistle chewee chewee chewee, each phrase rising at end. Call in NG is drawn out sweitch. (Does not give the “grinding” or “zap” calls of the AU population.) Habits: Singly or in territorial pairs; will forage with other species. Forages mainly near the ground, but also up into trees. Takes insect prey by fly-catching and hovering-and-snatching or -pouncing. Nests on a thin branch, alive or dead, in a tree or shrub, often near water (AU data). (In AU, often nests near Willie Wagtail or Magpielark.) Nest is a cup of grass and bark strips matted together and bound with spiderwebs, lined with rootlets, feathers, or fur. Eggs (2–3) whitish with dark spots and blotches (AU data). Range: NG: Trans-Fly and adjoining S Lowlands, sea level. Also N AU. Taxonomy: Some authorities treat this race as a separate species, Paperbark F (M. nana).
Frilled Monarch Arses telescopthalmus |
(A. telescophthalmus)
15–16 cm. The most common and widespread forest flycatcher in lowlands and foothills. This is the southern member of a distinctive pair of monarch species—the other is Ochre-collared M—sporting a blue, fleshy eye-ring and expandable neck ruff. Male: Boldly patterned black and white with erectile snow-white ruff and white patch on back. Female and Juv: From Ochre-collared by collar same color as back and wing; belly varies from white to buff. Subspp (5, in 2 groups): telescopthalmus (excluding range of next subsp) Female belly white; henkei (SE Pen) Female belly buff in N, white or buff in S. Similar spp: See Ochre-Collared M. Other black-and-white flycatchers and monarchs lack the white collar and patch on the back. Voice: Songs include a dry, slow cicada-like rattling; a trill that progressively drops in pitch; and a ringing trill. Also a buzzy and monotonous series of 6–8 notes in rapid succession: schweet schweet schweet…. Call is a grinding schweeit. Habits: Singly or in a pair, often associated with mixed feeding flocks of monarchs and other small insectivores. Active. Forages mainly in the midstory, Males exploring trunks, vines, and understory, Females often higher, gleaning and fly-catching in the lower canopy. Takes insects and spiders. Nests at midlevels in the forest, the nest woven between two slender, dangling vines and often unconcealed in an open space; nest is a thin-walled cup of fine stems and roots, bound with spiderwebs and decorated with a few pieces of lichen. Eggs (2) whitish with brown dots and markings. Range: Endemic. NG, NW Is (Batanta, Misool, Salawati, Waigeo), and Aru Is, 0–1200 m, locally higher. Throughout western and southern NG, but excluding NW Lowlands and Sepik-Ramu. Taxonomy: Formerly included Ochre-collared M and Frilled-necked M (A. lorealis) of Cape York, AU.
Ochre-collared Monarch Arses insularis |
(Frilled Monarch)
15–16 cm. This is the northern counterpart of the Frilled M. Common in forest interior and edge in lowlands and hills. Like Frilled, shows a blue, fleshy eye-skin. Male: Black and white with buffy orange throat and ruff. Female and Juv: Rufous neck and breast, white belly; from female Frilled M by grey-brown saddle. Similar spp: Frilled M female is variable, but always has an orange-brown mantle and wings, same as the collar. Rufous M resembles Female but is larger, without dark cap or blue eye-skin, and is all rufous below. Voice: Song is a series of 15–20 rapid, buzzing, cicada-like notes; series increase in volume, 2.5–4 sec; longer, faster, higher pitched than that of Frilled. Alarm call, bzzzt, shorter and less emphatic than that of Frilled. Habits: Somewhat shy. Habits similar to Frilled M, as far as known, although Males seem to forage more on foliage and branches, less so on trunks. Where the two co-occur on Huon Pen, this species is found in foothills and mountains rather than in lowlands occupied by Frilled. Nest location and construction also similar to Frilled. Egg, no information. Range: Endemic. NG and Yapen (Bay Is), 0–1500 m. NG: NW Lowlands to Sepik-Ramu and N coast of Huon. Taxonomy: Split from Frilled M (A. telescopthalmus).
Torrentlark Grallina bruijnii |
(Pomareopsis bruijnii)
20 cm. Scarce in noisy pairs and family groups along forest-lined, fast-flowing creeks and rivers in the mountains. Prefers primary forest and steep terrain. A medium-sized, black-and-white terrestrial songbird that bobs its body and wags its tail. Male: Black face and underparts. Female: White brow and breast. Juv: Like Female but with black forehead and white eyebrow. Similar spp: Torrent Flycatcher perches on branches or rocks, is smaller, and has a pale grey back and white throat. Other black-and-white birds are arboreal forest birds. Voice: A penetrating, harsh, buzzy, upslurred call rising above the roar of streams and carrying a great distance: jjirrreeee … or bzzzeeee, repeated irregularly. Habits: Highly conspicuous and vocal but shy, flying around a stream bend to avoid disturbance. Walks along gravel bars and among rocks, and may wade into the water, searching for insects. Rhythmically bobs, wags tail side to side, and fans wings. Sometimes forages on wet gravel roads. Travels through forest between streams. Nest built on a branch near water; nest a mud cup. Egg (1) undescribed. Range: Endemic. NG, probably all mts (no information for Fakfak, Kumawa, Wandammen, and Cyclops Mts), 400–2400 m.
Magpielark Grallina cyanoleuca |
(Mudlark)
26 cm. Restricted to southern Trans-Fly where resident locally. Common in wide open grassland with scattered trees and along river courses. A medium-large, pied, terrestrial songbird that struts about on long legs wagging its tail. Note rounded black wings in flight. Distinguished from Australian Magpie and the arboreal butcherbirds by the smaller bill and white markings on its face. Adult has distinctive white eye. Male: White eyebrow and black throat. Female: White forehead and throat. Juv: White eyebrow and throat and dark eye. Subspp: No information. Similar spp: Torrentlark lives along mountain streams and so does not co-occur; it is smaller, has a dark eye and somewhat different plumage pattern. Voice: AU data. Songs of Male and Female the same, either given solo or in a duet. Solo songs are several repetitions of the same phrase, e.g., a liquid mellow cloop cloop cloop or peewit peewit peewit. Duets contain 2 alternating phrases, one given by each bird, e.g., peewit cloop peewit cloop. Each bird rhythmically opens and raises its wings and spreads its tail. Alarm call is a strident pee! pee! pee! Habits: Singly, in pairs, or in small parties. Takes insects from the ground. Builds nest on tree branch near watercourse; nest a substantial, deep cup of mud and grass (AU data). Eggs (3–5) pinkish with dark spots and blotches. Range: NG: S Trans-Fly, 0–200 m. Also AU and Timor I.
Fantailed Monarch Symposiachrus axillaris |
(Black Monarch, Monarcha axillaris)
15–16 cm. Uncommon in interior of mid-mountain forest, frequenting the understory and midstory. A small, black, fantail-like monarch with small white tuft at the bend of the wing. Male: Satiny black. Female: Dull grey-black. Juv: Similar to Female but with browner flight-feathers, lacks white tufts under the wing. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Black Fantail male is velvety black, with a small white eyebrow, black-and-orange bill, and no pectoral tufts; note that tail of Fantailed M is not as open-fanned as Black Fantail’s, and feather tips of the monarch are slightly pointed, not rounded. Black Berrypecker is satiny black but has a shorter, square-tipped tail and blunt black bill. Voice: Calls include a very harsh, buzzing rasp, rapidly repeated 3 or 4 times, or longer; usually a single note with a short pause, followed by 3 notes in quick succession: schweg—zsh zsh zsh. Habits: Singly, in pairs, or in small groups (3–4), sometimes forages with fantails. Crouches and holds tail cocked and partially fanned. Fly-catches in shaded forest. Nest site, no information; nest a cup of moss lined with black rootlike fiber. Eggs (1–2) whitish with darker spots. Range: Endemic. NG, nearly all ranges (no records from Kumawa and Cyclops Mts) and Goodenough I (SE Is), 800–2300 m.
Rufous Monarch Symposiachrus rubiensis |
(Monarcha rubiensis)
18 cm. Uncommon and patchily distributed in forests of W and N lowlands and foothills, frequenting lower and middle stories of the forest interior. A large monarch, entirely rich rufous brown. Male: Black face. Female and Juv: Rufous face. Similar spp: Females of Frilled and Ochre-collared M have a blue eye-ring and dark cap. Voice: Song, 4–6 buzzing notes, similar to but louder than those of Frilled M: chwe chwe chwe chwe, often followed by a whistler-like upslur. Call, chhh chhh chhh…. Habits: Usually solitary; joins mixed-species flocks. Gleans and hovers for insects and spiders on foliage. Nest a mossy cup 3 m up in fork of a small sapling in forest interior. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head eastward in N to Sepik-Ramu and western S Lowlands (with isolated record from Nomad R), 0–300 m.
Hooded Monarch Symposiachrus manadensis |
(Monarcha manadensis)
15–16 cm. Uncommon and local in forest interior of foothills and adjacent lowlands; in understory and midstory. Adult: Shiny blue-black above, white below with characteristic black breast-bib framed by white sides. Juv and Imm: Pale ochraceous or white breast, and grey replaces black of Adult. Similar spp: Spot-winged M is grey above, with white wing spots. No other black-and-white forest bird has the black bib. Voice: Songs are a series of long, swelling, monotone whistles, each note ~1 sec in length; a sweet series of whistles on a monotone, like that of a treecreeper, except last notes become slurred into 1 tone, each series lasts ~1.5 sec; and high-pitched whistle, dee-yuu—dewi dewi. Calls are a sweet upslurred set of notes: swee dee dee and harsh notes like a Spot-winged M. Habits: Singly, in pairs, or in family parties; joins mixed-species flocks. Generally quiet and inconspicuous. Gleans and flycatches for arthropods. Behavior resembles Spot-winged M, which is smaller and with which it may associate. Nests ~1 m off the ground in fork of a small sapling; nest a deep cup of green moss lined with dark rootlets. Eggs (2) white with dark spots. Range: Endemic. NG, 0–400 m, rarely to 1200 m.
Spot-winged Monarch Symposiarchus guttula |
(Monarcha guttula)
14–15 cm. The common and widespread monarch of lowland and hill forest interior. Usually quiet and easily missed; forages in understory and midstory. Small. White tail spots flash when tail is fanned. Adult: Grey and white with black face; row of white spots on the wing (diagnostic). Juv and Imm: Slaty face, buff or white breast, wing spots reduced or absent. Similar spp: Hooded M has black back and bib. Spectacled M juv resembles Juv Spot-winged but lacks the blackish chin. Voice: Vocally diverse. (1) A faint, tremulous whistled note repeated several times; (2) a dry rasping scolding resembling that of Frilled M or Slaty-headed Longbill; (3) a harsh, downslurred shee shee; and others. Habits: Usually alone, sometimes in pairs, often with mixed flocks. Actively gleans, hovers-and-snatches, and flycatches for insects and spiders, taken mostly from leaves. May assume fantail-like posture. Nests ~1–3 m off the ground in fork of a small sapling; nest a deep cup, decorated with moss and globs of silk and lined with dark rootlets. Eggs (2) whitish with dark spots. Range: Endemic. NG, NW Is (Gag, Gebe, Batanta, Misool, Salawati, Waigeo, and some small ones), Bay Is (Mios Num, Yapen), Aru Is, and SE Is (3 main D’Entrecasteaux Is; Misima and Tagula Is), 0–800 m, locally to 1200 m.
Kofiau Monarch Symposiachrus julianae |
(Monarcha julianae)
15 cm. Kofiau I (NW Is) only, sister species to Spot-winged M, which is absent on Kofiau. Common in lowland forest interior. Adult: Similar to Spot-winged M but upperparts blackish and lacks wing spots (or these obscure). Juv (?): Brown above, dingy white below; mask dark, but not black; pattern similar to Adult. Imm (?): Retains brown Juv wings and tail; rest of upperparts grey, breast orange, belly white, dark mask. Similar spp: Spot-winged M. Voice: Similar to Spot-winged M. Habits: Similar to Spot-winged M. Forages at all levels. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. Kofiau I (NW Is).
Spectacled Monarch Symposiachrus trivirgatus |
(Monarcha trivirgatus)
15 cm. Uncommon resident on SE Is in lowland and hill forest. Also, a rare AU migrant to Trans-Fly monsoon forest, where most birds are in imm plumage. This is mainly an island bird in the NG Region, and it co-occurs with closely related Spot-winged on the larger islands in its range. Also shows white in tail. Adult: Resembles Spot-winged but has a cinnamon breast, lacks spots on the wing, and the shape of the face mask is different. Juv and Imm: Similar to juv Spot-winged but only chin grey (not including throat). Subspp (2): melanopterus (SE Is) shoulders black (some with white spots), broad white tail tip, breast pale rufous; gouldii (presumably, breeds E AU) shoulders grey (same as back), breast rich rufous. Similar spp: Spot-winged M. Myiagra flycatcher females quiver the tail. Voice: (AU data) Song is a drawn-out, high-pitched whistle with a slight buzzy quality, repeated immediately 2–4 times or at irregular intervals. A similar song is shorter and mixed with rapid high-pitched chatter. Also a short squeaky warble. Scolding calls are harsh and rasping, zzit zzit. Habits: Similar to Spot-winged M. Nest placed in a sapling fork; a deep cup of woven grass and fiber, decorated outside with bark, leaves, and globs of silk. Egg (1) white with dark spots. Range: NG (S Trans-Fly) and SE Is (D’Entrecasteaux—Normanby; Louisiades—Alcester, Misima, Rossel, Tagula, and some smaller islands, e.g., Conflict group), 0–750 m. (Record from Salawati I an error.) Also AU, Lesser Sundas, Moluccas. Taxonomy: May be composed of more than one species.
Biak Monarch Symposiachrus brehmii |
(Monarcha brehmii)
15–16 cm. Biak I only. Rare in lowland forest interior; poorly known. Adult: Unique bold pattern of creamy yellow and black, the yellow of an unusual washed-out hue; the black head is marked with a distinctive, pale, tear-shaped patch on the ear-coverts. Juv (from photo): Resembles juv Spectacled M but with mostly whitish outer tail feathers. Similar spp: Golden M, also on Biak, is smaller, deeper orange-yellow, and has yellow crown and white eye-spot. Voice: Song is a series of the same phrase repeated 7–8 times: whHUEEP wh-wh-wh-wh-wh—the first part a loud, mellow, swelling whistle, the second a rapidly repeated, soft, breathless, tonal whistle. Grating call. Habits: Similar to Spot-winged, so far as known. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. Biak I (Bay Is).
Golden Monarch Carterornis chrysomela |
(Black and Gold Monarch, Monarcha chrysomela)
13–14 cm. The common treetop monarch in lowland and foothill forest. Often out of view in the canopy; listen for the easily recognized song. Sexes differ, but both show unique, white tear-spot below eye. Male: Striking black-and-yellow pattern; note the yellow wing patch. Female: Generally yellowish olive; look for white tear-spot conspicuously set against dark cheek. Juv: Similar to Female, but bill black (not bluish) with yellowish base. Subspp (5, in 2 groups): chrysomela (all of range except for Biak I) Female mostly all green; kordensis (Bay Is: Biak) Female has bright orange-yellow head and underparts and patch on the wing, Male deep orange head and underparts. Similar spp: Golden Cuckooshrike male resembles a giant Male Golden M, but it lacks the white eye-spot and yellow on the wing. Biak M is pale creamy yellow, has black head with pale crescent on ear-coverts. Voice: Song is a loud, cheery, rambling sequence of varied phrases, many notes repeated 2–3 times; phrases composed of mellow notes, scratchy notes, sputtering notes, cheeps, and squawks, accompanied by frequent snapping of the bill, e.g., ditoweet duweet duweer teerteerteer. Habits: Usually in pairs, often in mixed-species flocks of small insectivores. Lives in the forest canopy, and best viewed in openings created by tree falls or trail cuts. Active, nervous, and noisy. Gleans and sally-gleans, taking insects from leaves. Nests higher than other monarchs, in the midstory and perhaps lower canopy; nest, on a horizontal branch, is a cup covered with moss. Egg, no information. Range: NG, NW Is (Batanta, Misool, Salawati, Waigeo), Bay Is (Biak), Aru Is, and SE Is (3 main D’Entrecasteaux Is), 0–700 m, rarely to 1200 m. Also Bismarck Is (New Ireland and islands to the north).
Islet Monarch Monarcha cinerascens |
17–19 cm. Confined to islets off the coast; mainly littoral. Occupies forest and edge, especially strand vegetation; common. This and the next 2 species are large, sluggish monarchs, grey with rufous breast and belly. Adult: Dull grey with cinnamon breast; note dark, beady eye. Juv: Differs in buffy wash from throat to breast, brownish edges to wings, and dark bill, paler at the base in the youngest birds. Subspp (6): Minor. Similar spp: Sister species Black-faced M co-occurs mainly in SE Is; juv/imm of that species is similar to Adult Islet M, but its face is paler grey around the eye; note that in SE Is, Adult Islet M may show some black at the base of the bill and paleness around the eye. Spectacled M may co-occur but has a black eye-patch, paler rufous underparts, and much white in the tail. Voice: Generally similar to that of the better-known Black-faced M; what differences there are have not been reported. Habits: Similar to Black-faced M, differing mainly in its ecology as a tramp species of small islands and willingness to forage in low strand vegetation. Nest 6–17 m up on a horizontal tree branch; nest a bulky cup of grass, fiber, and spiderwebs lined with fine black stems. Eggs (1–2) whitish with red-brown spots and band at wide end. Range: Islands off the N coast of NG (e.g., Karkar, Manam), but also locally on coast of Bird’s Head; NW Is (Kofiau, Misool, Waigeo, and likely others); nearly all Bay Is (no record from Mios Num); Aru Is; and all SE Is, 0–1400 m. Also Wallacea to Solomon Is. Taxonomy: Islet and Black-faced Ms are closely related, and the presence in the SE Is of birds that appear to be intermediate is confusing.
Black-faced Monarch Monarcha melanopsis |
17–19 cm. Breeds AU, migrates to eastern NG and SE Is during austral winter; some Imm birds remain over summer. Seasonally common in all forest types and edge in lowlands mainly, less frequent in foothills; forages in canopy and midstory. Sister species of Islet M; the two overlap in the SE Is. Adult: Black forehead and throat; prominence of beady black eye enhanced by pale grey eye-patch. Juv: May not be present in NG Region; resembles Adult but the grey plumage is brownish grey and the face, instead of black, has orange-rufous wash and pale loral spot. Imm: Shows blue-grey plumage of Adult, but retrains brown-grey Juv wings, and the grey face has pale loral spot. Similar spp: See Island M. Black-winged M has black wings and tail, and the black on face usually extends to the eye; only at higher elevations, does not co-occur. Voice: Song is a cheerful, mellow whistle: wyy-oo ich-ee-ou. Calls include a quick note and various monarchine chatterings and grindings. Habits: Usually singly, sometimes in mixed flocks. A slow-moving gleaner, rarely sallying, taking most prey from twigs and foliage. Range: NG (mainly in the East, westward to Huon and Trans-Fly), Aru Is, and SE Is, 0–800 m. Breeds E AU.
18 cm. The common monarch of treetops and edge of hill and mid-mountain forests. Forages from the canopy down into midstory. A resident species, though the AU race must overwinter in NG somewhere (no record as yet). Easily identified in its habitat: note striking contrast between pearl-grey body and black face, wings, and tail; rufous breast and belly. Adult: Well-defined plush, black mask; blue bill. Juv: No information. Imm: Black mask small and poorly defined; wings brownish grey (not black); bill dark. Subspp (3 or 4): Minor; black mask does not reach eye in frater (Bird’s Head, N slope of W Ranges) and canescens (migratory AU race); does in kunupi (Weyland Mts) and periophthalmicus (remainder of NG). AU race not separable in the field from nominate frater. Similar spp: Black-faced and Islet Ms, at lower elevation, have grey wings and tail. Voice: Varied, reminiscent of a cuckooshrike or Black-faced M. Song sweet, a whistled series of identical notes (1/sec) that rapidly rise then fall in pitch: witchewu or wichew or upslurred whuree. Call is a nasal chattering. Habits: Singly or in pairs, often in mixed-species flocks. Actively gleans and sallies. Nests on a tree branch or fork in midstory or canopy; a cup of plant material with covering of moss and mats of silk. Eggs (2–3) white with reddish spots. Range: NG, nearly all mts (no records for Kumawa, Wandammen, and Cyclops Mts), 400–1600 m, rarely to sea level. Also AU.
IFRITS: Ifritidae
Previously classified as a babbler or with the logrunners and allies, the Blue-capped Ifrit according to DNA studies belongs with a group of families including monarchs. Recently assigned to its own family.
Blue-capped Ifrit Ifrita kowaldi |
16–17 cm. Common in upper cloud forest. A tame, active, vocal bird with creeping habits. Chunky. Buffy brown with distinctive blue-and-black crown and pale eye-stripe. Male: Eye-stripe white. Female: Eye-stripe buff. Juv: Resembles Female, but forecrown brown, not blue. (Buff tips on greater and median wing-coverts variably present in Juv and Adult.) Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Wattled Ploughbill and Large Scrubwren, with which it associates, also creep, but lack the blue crown and are smaller. Papuan Treecreeper slimmer, darker, no blue crown. Voice: Song is a loud, squeaky, musical series of exuberant notes, rising and falling in pitch with the quality of a baby’s squeeze-toy. Call buzzy but musical, zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig, rising and falling. Flocking call is a 3-note jit—jit-jit. Habits: In pairs or small foraging parties, sometimes with other insect eaters. Forages at all levels in the forest. Creeps on mossy trunks and limbs, probing or excavating. Eats insects, spiders, rarely fruit. Nest, built in the fork of a sapling, is a bulky cup of moss and plant fiber. Egg (1) white with a few dark spots and blotches. Range: Endemic. NG: Central Ranges and Huon, 2100–2800 m (1450–2900 m).
DRONGOS: Dicruridae
The drongos (25 spp) are primarily an African and Asian family, with a few species that reach as far east as New Guinea, the Bismarck Is, and Australia. There is just 1 species in New Guinea now that the Pygmy Drongo has been moved to the fantails. Characteristics of drongos are their black plumage (most species), upright posture when perched, and conspicuous and demonstrative flycatcher-like foraging behavior.
Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus |
(D. hottentottus)
25–28 cm. Ubiquitous resident in lowland forest and edge, up into the mid-mountains in disturbed habitat. The AU form migrates to NG savannah country in austral winter. A noisy, conspicuous black bird that sits upright and is easily recognized by its forked “fish tail” with the tips turned outward and upward. Often flicks tail upward. Adult: Glossy, metallic, blue-black with spangled breast; red iris. Juv: Duller, sooty black; dark iris. Imm: Plumage mostly adultlike, but in AU form retains some white-tipped undertail-coverts; iris red. Subspp (3): Minor, although the migratory AU form bracteatus (breeds SE AU north to central Queensland, wintering in Trans-Fly) is larger, tail shorter and less forked, bill longer, Juv with white tips to undertail-coverts, and Adult with somewhat different calls than resident carbonarius (said to have gloss blue-and-green vs blue-and-purple, but this seems questionable). Similar spp: Manucodes and drongos can be seen together in the same feeding flock. Manucodes are larger, with rounded tails, horizontal posture, and very different vocalizations. Black Cicadabird male also in same mixed flock lacks fish tail. Voice: Song, associated with a flight display, is a variety of creaky and nasal notes jumbled together. Calls are varied, all of which are loud, ringing, and conspicuous, often repeated 2 or more times. Sometimes duets. Habits: Solitary or in pairs, often mixed in with flocks of babblers, pitohuis, and birds of paradise, the drongos acting as sentinel species, calling loudly and taking insects flushed by other foragers. When feeding, sallies out to capture insects in flight or from tree foliage, branches, or trunks. Residents live in territorial pairs. The AU migratory birds migrate in flocks. Aggressive toward other birds, even swooping down on flying raptors. Breeds as a monogamous pair. Nest built in midstory, slung from a forked twig; nest is a thin-walled basket of twigs and vine stems. Eggs (2–3) whitish with dark spots or blotches. Range: NG, NW Is (Batanta, Gebe, Kofiau, Misool, Salawati, Waigeo), Bay Is (Biak, Numfor, Yapen), Aru Is, and SE Is (3 main D’Entrecasteaux Is, Trobriand Is, Tagula I), 0–1450 m. Migratory AU birds widespread throughout the Trans-Fly and adjacent S Lowlands. Taxonomy: Formerly included within Hair-crested Drongo (D. hottentottus) of Asia and Wallacea. (Proposal to elevate race carbonarius of NG to species status not accepted given intermediate forms in N AU.)
FANTAILS: Rhipiduridae
The 46 species of fantails range from India to New Zealand and Oceania; 14 fantail species inhabit the New Guinea Region. The high diversity of fantails in New Guinea demonstrates the central role this region has played in the evolution of the family. Recent genetic research has identified the Pygmy Drongo (and Silktail, Lamprolia victoriae, of Fiji) as sister species to the fantails, and it is provisionally placed in this family. Except for the Pygmy Drongo, the New Guinea species present a rather homogeneous group. Fantails are small and delicate flycatching birds, 13–20 cm long. While foraging, the long tail is often fanned and the wings are drooped in a characteristic crouching posture. In some species the tail is cocked upward. The smaller fantails are fidgety in movements, twisting this way and that. Most fantails favor closed forest, although one (Willie Wagtail) inhabits lawns and gardens, and others dwell in mangroves or scrub. Fantails build a neat, cup-shaped nest usually with a pendent “tail” attached to the base. Many species readily join mixed bird flocks. Most are unwary and easy to find. Thicket-fantails have loud, explosive songs but are typically much more difficult to observe.
Pygmy Drongo Chaetorhynchus papuensis |
(Mountain Drongo)
20 cm. Common in the interior of hill and mid-mountain forests, where it is the only black, flycatcher-like bird with upright posture and unforked tail. Looks like a large, black monarch or a small drongo. Note short bill with prominent hooked tip. Adult: Metallic blue-black plumage, short nuchal crest, and concealed white patch at bend of wing. Juv: Duller; white gape. Similar spp: Spangled D much larger, with “fish tail.” Black Pitohui male is similar in shape and posture, but is larger, duller, and confined to higher elevations. Fantailed Monarch is much smaller and has horizontal posture and a pearl grey bill. Voice: Song is a loud, long, brilliant, jumbled, musical mixture of chips, squeaks, whistles, and warbles. Call is a strong, explosive pik or peep, given either once or repeated in rapid succession. Also a downslurred, whistled pi-yew. Habits: Solitary or paired. A noisy bird of forest midstory; perches on horizontal branches and sallies for insects. Foraging behavior and posture reminiscent of Northern Fantail. Frequently joins mixed foraging flocks, stationing itself in open spaces beneath the canopy where it can pursue insects disturbed by other birds foraging above. Nest a small, shallow basket slung from a tree fork. Range: Endemic. NG: All mts (no record yet for Cyclops Mts), 600–2000 m, rarely lower. Taxonomy: Recently transferred from the Dicruridae as a result of molecular studies.
Fantails. The 13 species of the New Guinea Region fall into 6 ecological groups. The largest fantail species, Willie Wagtail, is met almost everywhere in human settlements and other open habitats, often on the ground. Three species of very similar thicket-fantails are strictly confined to the dense lowland understory: Sooty in forests, Black at the edge and locally in forests, and White-bellied strictly in thickets. Five species of the forest interior forage from the understory into the canopy but differ in preferred foraging height, altitudinal range, and foraging method. From the lowlands to high elevations, they are Rufous-backed, Chestnut-bellied, Black, and Friendly and Dimorphic Wagtails. Of these species, Black is most concentrated in the understory, Rufous-backed is the only species found in flat lowland forests, and Chestnut-bellied and Friendly have mutually exclusive altitudinal ranges (Chestnut-bellied below Friendly). The remaining mainland forest species, Northern Fantail, lives in open areas of the forest and at the forest edge. The Mangrove Fantail is confined to mangroves of the South and East. Two species similar to each other and often considered conspecific are Arafura Fantail of NW Is forests and southern mangroves, and Rufous Fantail resident on SE Is and also occurring as an Australian winter visitor to forests of the Trans-Fly.
Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys |
17–20 cm. A familiar bird of towns, villages, and gardens; originally an inhabitant of savannahs, beaches, lagoons, and riverside openings in forested country. Conspicuous and active. Wags entire body, calling persistently. Tail cocked and waved but not fanned. Distinctive silvery flash in the wings when it flies. Adult: Black except for white belly and eyebrow. Juv: Duller, with bigger white eyebrow and buff tips to wing-coverts. Subspp (1): melaleuca (Moluccas to Solomon Is). Similar spp: Restless Flycatcher (Trans-Fly) has an entirely white throat and underparts. Voice: Song (both sexes) a loud, jerky, musical, squeaky whistling best likened to “sweet pretty little creature.” Often sings at night. Alarm call is a harsh rattle, tikka tikka tikka…. Habits: Alone or in pairs. Feeds actively on the ground, walking and running and chasing insects; follows livestock. Also forages from low shrubs and trees, picking from branches or sallying. Territorial, aggressive, and bold, attacking intruders near the nest. Will chase raptors. Breeds in pairs. Nests on a variety of structures: low shrub or tree (usually) and rarely post, power pole, or coastal piling or boat in the water; nest is a tightly woven cup (without tail) of fine plant material often lined with hair or feathers. Eggs (2–3) white with spots. Range: NG, NW Is (all), Bay Is (Biak only?), Aru Is, Karkar I, and SE Is (3 main D’Entrecasteaux Is), 0–2000 m, higher locally. Also AU and Moluccas, Admiralty, Bismarck, and Solomon Is.
Black Thicket-Fantail Rhipidura maculipectus |
18–19 cm. Local and uncommon, secretive in lowland forest edge, swamp forest, mangroves, and second growth, particularly near water and where the forest is sometimes flooded. Closely resembles the more widespread White-bellied TF, except overall more blackish and the belly is black; also the central tail feathers lack white tips. Female: Duller, with reduced wing-spotting. Juv: Sooty black with much reduced white markings; tail pattern same. Similar spp: White-bellied TF. Sooty TF lacks white in tail and is brown above, not black, and lacks black throat-stripe. Voice: Song similar to that of White-bellied but more rapid and ends with the next-to-last note loudest and downslurred, WHIT-chee. Alarm call tchep or wheck. Habits: Similar to White-bellied TF but usually close to water and occupies shady cover; may co-occur with other thicket-fantails. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG, NW Is (Batanta, Salawati), and Aru Is, 0–300 m. NG: Bird’s Head to S Lowlands and southern SE Pen to Laloki R.
White-bellied Thicket-Fantail Rhipidura leucothorax |
18 cm. A thicket specialist. Forages near the ground in a broad range of disturbed lowland and hill forest habitats: gardens, second growth, forest edge, streamside thickets, and mangroves, less common in forest interior where associated with light gaps. Locally common and often heard, but keeps to cover and difficult to observe. Adult: Blackish brown; black face marked with a prominent white eyebrow and white submoustachial patch; belly white; all tail feathers white-tipped. Juv: Greyer; all-dark bill; black breast band spotted white. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Sooty TF of forest interior has all-black tail and all-white throat. Black TF, also in second growth, is darker, has black belly and dark tips on central tail feathers. Voice: Conspicuous. Song is a loud pair of explosive notes, chirPING! or teyuPINK!, sometimes preceded by a few soft introductory notes. Habits: Singly or in pairs. Slightly easier to observe than other thicket-fantails—makes brief forays into the open. Fans tail exaggeratedly. Gleans and flycatches for insects, staying close to the ground, rarely ascending higher. Nest, built in a thicket and ~1 m up on a thin stem, is a small, woven, tailed cup coated with cobwebs. Eggs (2) white with blurry markings. Range: Endemic. NG mainland except Trans-Fly, 0–750 m, rarely to 1350 m.
Sooty Thicket-Fantail Rhipidura threnothorax |
17–18 cm. Common but secretive in thickets within forest interior in lowlands. A long-tailed, sooty brown bird, always near the ground, usually in dense cover. Tail all black, lacking white tips. Also look for all-white throat. Plumage of the small head usually unkempt-looking. Male darker; Female browner. Juv: Paler, with breast and belly grey marked by pale shaft streaks. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: The other 2 thicket-fantails are blacker above, have white tail tip, dark forehead, and dark chin streak. Voice: Song, characteristic of lowland forest, is loud 3-note chew chew chew (could be mistaken for song of a jewel-babbler, but fantail almost always delivers 3 notes, jewel-babbler only 1 or 2). Calls include a repeated teek, pink! or kraaank-pink! Also scolding notes when foraging. Habits: Singly or in pairs. Often follows babblers or ground-feeding birds, some much larger than itself. While foraging, assumes a horizontal posture with tail fanned. Gleans insects from the ground or flycatches at ground level or from low perch. Nest built on a forked branch in undergrowth within 1 m of the ground; a small, tight cup bound with spiderwebs and possessing a long tail. Egg, no information. Range: Endemic. NG (throughout, except Trans-Fly), NW Is (Misool, Salawati, Waigeo), Yapen (Bay Is), and Aru Is, 0–1100 m.
Rufous-backed Fantail Rhipidura rufidorsa |
(Chestnut-backed Fantail)
13–14 cm. Common in lowland and hill forest interior. The plainest and smallest lowland fantail. Adult: Head grey and underparts dingy white; tail tipped white; back and rump rufous. Juv: Similar, tail shorter. Subspp (3): Minor. Similar spp: Rufous and Arafura Fs have a prominent black “necklace.” Female Black F has rufous underparts and tail, without white tips. Chestnut-bellied F, broadly co-occurring, is grey above, rufous below. Voice: Song is a series of 3–5 thin, sweetly whistled upslurs and varies geographically; quality resembles voice of Rusty Mouse-Warbler. Call is tseet. Habits: Singly or in pairs. Joins mixed flocks of warblers and flycatchers. Forages actively in foliage, from ground to canopy, occasionally at edge. Takes insects by gleaning and flycatching. Nest is built within a meter of the ground on a thin, forked twig; a small, tailed cup tightly bound with cobwebs. Eggs (2) pinkish white with small spots. Range: Endemic. NG (minus Trans-Fly), Misool (NW Is), and Yapen (Bay Is), 0–650 (900) m.
Dimorphic Fantail Rhipidura brachyrhyncha |
15–16 cm. Common in cloud forest and subalpine shrubland. Adult: Small, pale brown fantail. Contrasting rufous rump and lower back against dull buff-brown head and upper back. 2 morphs: pale morph has all ashy-grey tail and pale grey-brown underparts; dark morph has blackish tail with broad rufous tip and dull ochraceous underparts. Juv: No information. Similar spp: Black F female is larger and brighter rufous, and shows different tail pattern with dark central feathers. Voice: Song has a tinkling quality when heard nearby, but sounds squeaky at a distance. It begins with a couple of detached, higher-pitched, slower notes, then descends in a run-together cascade of 7 or more fast notes. Calls include scolding didlit didilit didlit … or nasal weedint weedint. Habits: Tame and active. Often in pairs, of one or both morphs. Forages with typical fantail behavior in undergrowth and midstory. Fans tail more frequently than Black F. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head, Central Ranges, Foja Mts, and Huon, 1700–3900 m, rarely lower.
Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrons |
14–15 cm. Uncommon AU migrant to Trans-Fly; also resident on small SE Is; both populations inhabit forest. This species and Arafura F are very similar but have different ranges. They share a rufous patch at the base of the tail, a black throat “necklace,” and a rufous forehead (missing in one race of Arafura F). Adult: Broad rufous patch at base of tail and on rump. Juv: Duller, browner, with rufous tips to wing-coverts, necklace brown and reduced. Subspp (3, in 2 groups): rufifrons (migrates to Trans-Fly, breeds AU) grey tips to tail feathers; louisiadensis (resident SE Is, endemic) white tips to tail feathers. Similar spp: Rufous-backed F has plain grey head and lacks black necklace. Voice: Song of AU race begins with a high-pitched squeak and accelerates into a series of descending seesaw notes; in SE Is it is a long, brilliant, tinkling, descending series. Calls include a squeaky chip and a high-pitched ps. Habits: Singly or in pairs. Works the understory and midstory in typical fantail fashion—very active and constantly fans tail. Nest and eggs (AU data) similar to that of Rufous-backed F. Range: NG (Trans-Fly) and SE Is (found on small islands, but includes Goodenough, Fergusson, and Rossel), 0–300 m. Also AU, Melanesia, Micronesia. Taxonomy: Formerly included Arafura F.
Arafura Fantail Rhipidura dryas |
14–15 cm. Western counterpart to Rufous F. Th ere are 2 very different resident subspecies. Differs from Rufous F in small rufous patch at base of tail, and tail tip is always white. Also, the island races lack the rufous forehead and have a white eyebrow instead. Subspp (2): squamata (forests of NW Is and Aru Is; also Banda Is) black forehead, white eyebrow; streptophora (mangroves of Mimika R; birds in Gulf of Papua mangroves undescribed and possibly belong to this form) extensive rufous forehead and diffi cult to separate from Rufous F. Similar spp: See Rufous F. Voice: NG forms, no information. Habits: Presumably similar to Rufous F. Range: NG, NW Is (Misool, Salawati, Schildpad Is, Waigeo, and Kofiau with subspp undet.), and Aru Is, sea level. NG: S coast at Mimika R (western S Lowlands) and Gulf of Papua (Purari R east to Hisiu), the latter population presumably belonging to this species. Also E Wallacea and AU. Taxonomy: The NG mangrove populations are in need of review.
Black Fantail Rhipidura atra |
16–17 cm. Common in undergrowth of montane forest. Male: Velvety black; the small white eyebrow can be hard to see. Female and Juv: Rufous with all-black central tail feathers. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Fantailed Monarch is glossy blue-black with white axillaries, no white eyebrow; its bill is pearl grey rather than black and yellow; and voice is very different. Dimorphic F is smaller, duller below, and lacks black central tail feathers. Voice: Varied. Songs include a rising series of ~10 thin, sweet notes, each becoming shorter and more closely spaced at end, lasting 2 sec; a series of ~10 sharp syllables, tyeek, rising and falling slightly in pitch for ~3 sec; and a sweet, high-pitched, piercing, tinkling jumble with an abrupt change of quality on the final slur. Notes include a single, soft tseep recalling voice of Northern F and a loud metallic chink! like coins struck together. Habits: Oft en in pairs. Easily observed—approaches at first, then flees. Active. Sallies aft er flying insects and gleans off foliage. Elevational range overlaps Dimorphic F and Fantailed Monarch. Nest built on a forked twig near the ground; a tight cup of fine plant material, with a tail. Egg (1) cream with dark speckles. Range: Endemic. NG (all mts) and Waigeo (NW Is), 1000–2200 m (700–3200 m).
Friendly Fantail Rhipidura albolimbata |
14–15 cm. Common in cloud forest interior, edge, and openings. Adult: Generally sooty-colored with white facial markings, wing bars, and tail tips. Juv: Upperparts mottled rufous; wing bars and pale portions of underparts buffy. Similar spp: Northern F is larger, more upright; lives at lower elevation. Chestnut-bellied F has chestnut belly; also at lower elevation. Voice: Song a high, squeaky, brightly whistled series of 3–7 staccato notes, sometimes followed by a rapid jumble:
Also other more complex variations made up of rising and falling, pleasantly whistled notes, repeated over and over. Habits: Singly or in pairs. Tame, inquisitive, active in the lower and middle levels of the forest and edge; occasionally canopy. Sallies aft er insects and gleans from foliage and branches. Behavior similar to Chestnut-bellied F. Nest built in midlevel in forest on sloping vine; a tightly woven cup of plant fiber, with tail, bound with cobwebs. Egg, no information. Range: Endemic. NG: nearly all mts (no records from Adelbert and Wandammen Mts), 1600 m to timberline.
Chestnut-bellied Fantail Rhipidura hyperythra |
14–15 cm. Common in forest midstory, from lowlands at foot of the ranges, up to mid-mountains. Adult: Pattern diagnostic—slaty grey above, rich rufous below. Wing-coverts with 2 rows of white or buff spots. Juv: Paler, duller below; wing-covert spots rufous. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Northern F larger, paler below, less active. Friendly F grey and white below, inhabits cloud forest. Voice: Song a variety of soft and musical whistled notes: a descending series of 3 notes; an ascending series of 5 notes spaced at half-sec intervals and ending abruptly; and a rapid series of rising and falling notes, similar to those given by Friendly and Northern Fs. Song may closely resemble a gerygone. Call is 2 faint, clear, high-pitched short notes on different pitches. Habits: Singly or in pairs. Fans tail frequently. Actively gleans from branches and leaves; sometimes sallies. Oft en in mixed flocks with gerygones, etc. Behavior similar to Friendly F. Nest is built in midstory on a thin, forked, horizontal twig; a tightly woven cup of plant fiber, with tail, bound with cobwebs. Eggs (2) cream with small spots. Range: Endemic. NG, Yapen (Bay Is), and Aru Is, 0–1600 (1750) m. NG: hills, mts, and adjacent lowlands (no records for Fakfak, Kumawa, and Wandammen Mts); also lowlands around Oriomo, Morehead, and Tarara Rs.
Mangrove Fantail Rhipidura phasiana |
14–15 cm. In mangroves only; locally common. Adult: A small, pale grey fantail with white eyebrow and white wing bars. Juv: Paler still, with upperparts suffused with buff. Similar spp: Northern F, which may share its habitat, is larger, more upright, rarely fans tail, lacks wing bars. Friendly F much darker; only in high mountains. Voice: Song a tinkling, rising series of soft, high-pitched notes. Habits: Similar to other small fantails; fans tail often. Generally forages in midlevels, higher than co-occurring Rufous/Arafura Fs. Nest (AU data) is on a low, thin branch; a tailed cup. Eggs (2) white with spots and blotches. Range: NG: Spotty distribution from Trans-Fly (Dolak I to Merauke) east to southern SE Pen (Lea Lea); Aru Is. Also N AU. Taxonomy: Formerly treated as a race of Grey Fantail (R. albiscapa or fuliginosa) of AU. Identity of Aru and Trans-Fly birds needs confirmation from specimens, to separate from Grey F. Extralimital spp: Grey F may occur in S NG as migrant from AU; none reported yet. It is slightly larger, darker, and not confined to mangroves.
Northern Fantail Rhipidura rufiventris |
17–18 cm. The widespread and common forest fantail of lowlands, hills, and mid-mountains. Perches upright and is relatively inactive and rarely fans tail. Adult: A grey fantail lacking white markings on wings. Regionally variable: either grey or black with whitish underparts and dark breast band. Unlike other grey fantails, rarely shows its white eyebrow. Juv: Duller, browner; wing-coverts tipped buff. Subspp (4): gularis (widespread NG form) grey with buffy belly; vidua (NW Is: Gag, Gebe, Kofiau) breast band pale-spotted, belly white; kordensis (Bay Is: Biak) black with white belly and strong white eyebrow; nigromentalis (SE Is: Misima, Tagula) black chin, white tail tips larger. Similar spp: Mangrove F smaller, has a pronounced white eyebrow and white wing bars and actively fans tail. Voice: The tune of one song, a 4–7-note series, sounds like a mouse-warbler, yet with a softer, faster, more halting delivery, and descending in pitch. Another song, given in excitement, is composed of 2 alternating, high, piping notes in a long repetitious series, tiptuptiptup …, ending in a stuttered jumble. Habits: Singly or in pairs, often with a mixed-species flock of warblers, monarchs, and small honeyeaters. Perches conspicuously in an open space in the forest interior and sallies for small insects. Also frequents the forest edge. Nest is built in the midstory on a thin horizontal or sloping stem; a tight cup with a tail, made of fine plant material bound with spiderwebs. Eggs (2) yellowish white with spots. Range: NG Region, all NW Is, Bay Is (except Numfor), Manam I, and SE Is (3 main D’Entrecasteaux Is; Misima and Tagula), 0–1600 m. Also Wallacea, AU, to Admiralty and Bismarck Is. Taxonomy: A highly variable species that may someday be broken up.
CROWS AND ALLIES: Corvidae
The crows have a worldwide distribution, with 130 species in the family. The greatest diversity of forms inhabits tropical Asia. The family includes jays and others, but only true crows are found in New Guinea (3 spp). These are large and either black or grey, with a heavy bill and powerful legs; all have the iris white or pale blue, like the Australian crows. The New Guinea species inhabit forest, savannah, and coastal areas, where they forage for fruits, insects, spiders, crabs, frogs, lizards, and other animal foods. Crows are vocal and sociable, and some species have helpers at the nest.
Brown-headed Crow Corvus fuscicapillus |
46 cm. Known from only 4 localities in lowland forests of the West. A robust crow with large, high-arched bill and short, square tail (barely extends beyond folded wing tip). Brownish-black head and breast. Adults have a striking, pale blue eye. Male: Bill black. Female: Bill color uncertain; reported as yellow with a dark tip, but this could indicate a young bird; needs confirmation. Juv: Paler and more brownish than Adult, with much white showing from bases of feathers; bill all yellow. Similar spp: Torresian C has the same shape but lighter build, has a smaller, tapered bill, and is glossy black. Grey C has a long tail and pink face. Voice: Deeper than Torresian C. Call, a loud ow ow ow … aahhh and variations; also gakock gakock (possibly a duet). Habits: Singly or in pairs, rarely in flocks of as many as a dozen; shy and retiring, normally staying within the forest. A fruit eater of the forest canopy in primary and tall secondary lowland forest; while reported from mangroves, it usually avoids the coast and open habitats used by Torresian C. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG (NW Lowlands: mouth of Mamberamo R and Nimbokrang forest west of Cyclops Mts), NW Is (Waigeo), and Aru Is, 0–500 m.
Grey Crow Corvus tristis |
(Bare-eyed Crow, Gymnocorvus tristis)
51–56 cm. Common in vocal family groups in lowland and hill forest. A lanky, long-tailed crow, unusual for its pale grey or sooty-brown plumage. Note bare, pink face. Adult: Sooty brown; bill slaty grey. Juv: Paler and greyish; bill pink. Imm: Intermediate. Similar spp: Other crows are darker and have much shorter tails. Channel-billed Cuckoo is similar, but has a curved bill, longer pointed wings and tail, and shows some barring in the flanks and tail. Voice: Call is a short, nasal, plaintive, high-pitched wenh? repeated every few seconds. Flock calling at a distance sounds like yelping. Habits: In small, vocal, wary, but curious family parties, foraging for fruit and animal prey in forest canopy and edge. Often seen along rivers. Flies mainly at canopy level. Nest built in crown of a forest tree; a platform of thin sticks. Eggs, no information; 4 young observed in the only nest reported. Range: Endemic. NG (all except Trans-Fly), NW Is (Batanta, Salawati), Bay Is (Yapen), SE Is (3 main D’Entrecasteaux Is), 0–1400 m (rarely to 2000 m).
Torresian Crow Corvus orru |
46 cm. The widespread, common black crow of coasts, settlements, and open lowland country. Compact shape, with tail barely projecting beyond tip of folded wing. Tapered, medium-sized bill. Adult: Shiny black. Iris whitish or pale blue. Juv and Imm: Duller, iris matures from grey, to brown, to hazel, to white. Subspp (1): orru (NG Region and Moluccas). Similar spp: Brown-headed C, in forests of the West, is the same size and shape, but is more robust, and the bill is larger and arched, head and breast brownish black. Grey C has much longer tail and is grey or sooty brown. Voice: Call an annoying, oft-repeated, nasal caw: cah cah caaaaaaaooooowww, and variations of this. Habits: Singly, in pairs, or in small gatherings. Conspicuous but wary. Forages on the ground, scavenging along roads and shorelines; also takes fruit from trees. Feeds on a variety of animal life, dead or alive, and fruit. Nest, built in a tree crown, is a bulky cup of sticks and other material. Eggs (2–4) pale green with spots. Range: All NG Region except Aru Is and Rossel I (SE Is), but no record from Mios Num (Bay Is), 0–650 m. Also AU and Moluccas.
MELAMPITTAS: Melampittidae
The genus Melampitta has recently been classified in its own family. The 2 species are black, long-legged, short-winged ground birds. The Lesser M is rather pitta-like, but more noteworthy is the subterranean roosting Greater M. DNA studies have placed the melampittas closest to birds of paradise and related families.
Lesser Melampitta Melampitta lugubris
18 cm. A widespread but reclusive ground dweller of cloud forests up to timberline. Difficult to see, so listen for its double-click call. An entirely velvet-black pitta-shaped bird, hopping on stilt legs. Distinctive domed forehead. Male’s eye red, Female’s dark brown. Juv: Dull, sooty black with brownish cast in underparts. Similar spp: None in its habitat. Greater M much larger, bulkier yet less compact, with bigger bill, longer tail; not in cloud forest. Voice: Song tzee-sisisisisisisi, the last series a descending, insect-like trill. Contact call is a sputtered, loud, double clicking or spitting, like the clicking or grinding of 2 pebbles: SPITjup or SHLIK or SHLIP; varies regionally. Habits: Singly or in pairs, concealed in the undergrowth. Hops or runs. Seeks insects, worms, snails by searching or flipping leaves and gleaning, probing, or digging. Nest built near the ground on the side of a tree fern; bulky nest of live moss and rootlets, with side entrance. Egg (1) white with dark spots and blotches. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head, Central Ranges, Huon, 2100–2800 m (1200–3500 m).
Greater Melampitta Megalampitta gigantea |
(Melampitta gigantea)
29 cm. Habits unique: associated primarily with forested, hilly, limestone terrain where it shelters in sinkholes. Very local. Shy and difficult to see; best located by its loud, distinctive song. The only large, all-dark, terrestrial songbird. Pitohui-like, but strictly terrestrial. Often with unkempt appearance, particularly the worn, frayed tail. Many birds have white feather-mite egg cases encrusted behind the eye. Adult: All black. Juv and Imm: Head black, body mostly or all dark brown, although age sequence not understood. Similar spp: Piping Bellbird also terrestrial but not as dark, more rufous, smaller. The hooded juv Greater M shares the black-and-brown plumage pattern with Southern Variable, Northern Variable, and Hooded Pitohuis, but is much larger, and there is no distinct division between the black-and-brown plumage. Voice: Song is loud, carrying, and musical—a connected pair of medium- to high-pitched notes repeated over and over at slightly irregular intervals for several minutes. The second note of each pair is either higher or lower in pitch; phrases are spaced 2–4 sec apart. Habits: Poorly known; no information on its social system, although birds are typically encountered alone. Presumably forages for arthropods on the forest floor in the vicinity of subterranean roosting sites. Progresses in long, bounding leaps or a scurrying run, like a small mammal. Seldom flies. Nest reported by local people to be a large suspended basket built down in a sinkhole. Egg, no information. Range: Endemic. NG: Known from 7 scattered localities (may actually be widespread in limestone areas) including Bird’s Head (Arfak Mts), Bird’s Neck (Fakfak and Kumawa Mts), S slopes of Western Ranges (Otakwa and Setekwa Rs), S slope of Border Ranges (Tabubil and P`nyang Camp), N Coastal Ranges (Torricelli Mts), and SE Pen (Mt Mura, NW of Mt Simpson), 650–1400 m.
BIRDS OF PARADISE: Paradisaeidae
Birds of paradise (BoP) are a principally New Guinean bird family, with 37 of the 41 known species inhabiting the NG Region. The family ranges from northern Moluccas through NG and thence south along the coast of eastern Australia. In NG, the species inhabit forests at all elevations, but the greatest concentration of species can be found in the mid-mountain zone, ~1500–2100 m. As currently circumscribed, the Paradisaeidae no longer includes the satinbirds (now in their own family) and the genus Macgregoria (Giant Wattled Honeyeater).
Although the birds of paradise exhibit a diverse array of feeding habits, bill shapes, body forms, and plumages, they nevertheless constitute a taxonomically compact group, famous for the males’ remarkable nuptial plumages and elaborate courtship displays. The bird of paradise body plan is somewhat crowlike, with a powerful bill and feet, and all species are adapted to a diet of fruit and insects. This is an important group of seed dispersers.
There are 2 branches to the family, and they differ in breeding habits. The glossy black manucodes (5 spp), in which the sexes look alike, are socially monogamous, meaning that the male and female form a pair bond and share in nesting duties. While they may lack ornamental plumes, manucodes are nevertheless remarkable as the only songbirds in the world with an elongated trachea (windpipe) that coils (in Phonygammus) or loops (Manucodia) beneath the breast skin and, like a trumpet, serves to amplify the bird’s voice.
In the polygynous “true” birds of paradise, the colorful adult males sport ornamental plumage and advertise themselves with loud songs and calls. The cryptic females are brown or black plumaged, often with barring ventrally. Young males look exactly like females but are somewhat larger, and it takes them many years to eventually acquire adult plumage. Once fully adult, the male faithfully attends a display court or perch, where he attracts and mates with females. Depending on species, a male displays by himself away from other males or with a group of males called a “lek.” Females of polygynous species alone build the nest and raise the offspring.
One outcome of these promiscuous matings deserves mention: hybrids—the offspring of parents of different species. Museum collections contain a surprising diversity of bird of paradise hybrids, including those between different genera, such as Paradigalla × Astrapia or Magnificent × King BoP crosses. The hybrids may look intermediate between the 2 parental species, but just as often their appearance can be quite bewildering. Intergeneric hybrids are very rarely encountered in the field. The only commonly seen hybrids are between Ribbon-tailed and Stephanie’s Astrapias and between Greater, Lesser, and Raggiana BoPs.
Birds of paradise are much admired for their beauty and their entertaining displays. The birds feature prominently in local folk traditions, and their plumes are used in dress on festive and ceremonial occasions. Despite the hunting of adult males for plumes, many birds of paradise seem able to maintain populations close to rural villages. Whether near human settlement or in the most remote wilderness, the brown-plumaged females and immature birds predominate by far, so learning to identify them is key. Be aware that males of many iridescent species appear partly to completely black depending on light conditions, obscuring what would otherwise be colorful plumage and possibly confusing someone trying to identify them. For best results finding and observing male birds of paradise, knowledge of the specific location of display courts and perches is required (though not for manucodes, which lack a fixed display site). Visitors should employ a local guide to show them display sites. To find displaying males on one’s own, first learn about the courtship behavior of individual species, then seek out the songs of the males in appropriate habitat—the advertising males may lead you to their display site. When not at his display site, a male can sometimes be spotted resting on an open perch in a tall tree, particularly after rain, so scanning ridge crests with a telescope is a productive technique. Another method is to wait patiently at a favored fruiting tree; over time a selection of species may visit the tree to feed. Even chance encounters are frequent, particularly of female and immature birds, which are often seen hopping slowly along a branch carefully searching for prey. Both males and females can be found in mixed flocks in the lowlands.
Trumpet Manucode Phonygammus keraudrenii |
(Trumpetbird, Manucodia keraudrenii)
28–33 cm. Frequents fruiting trees (especially figs) of lower montane forest, and lowlands in the South. Shy and stealthy, difficult to observe. Much nervous wing-flicking and hesitant posturing. Smaller than other manucodes. Adult: A glossy black canopy dweller with diagnostic, loose feather hackles adorning the nape, neck, and throat; spiky crest; iris red. Male: Famous for an outlandish anatomical feature—the extraordinarily long trachea (to 800 mm) that lies like a tightly coiled garden hose beneath the skin of its breast. Female: Smaller; trachea shows as a shorter loop or coil. Juv and Imm: Dull blackish with reduced gloss and virtually no hackles; iris grey-brown, slowly changing to red with age. No tracheal loop or coil. Subspp (6): keraudrenii (Bird’s Head and Neck, and far western W Ranges) a montane form of average size and plume length, bluish back, purplish wings; neumanni (N slopes of W and Border Ranges, plus Foja and N Coastal Mts) similar but with spiky crest short; adelberti (Adelbert Mts) small size, short crest and hackles, greenish gloss, shrill voice, short tracheal coil; jamesii (S Lowlands and Aru to southern SE Pen) a lowland form, upperparts greenish blue, produces a distinctive ooo-uh vocalization not given by adjacent upland forms; purpureoviolaceus (E Ranges and SE Pen) a montane form of large size with long crest and hackles, purplish upperparts, deep voice; hunsteini (D’Entrecasteaux Is) a rare, quiet, and inconspicuous insular form that is very large, less glossy, and shows slightly twisted central tail feathers. Similar spp: Other manucodes are larger. No other manucode exhibits the loose mane of head feathers; all others show a “crew-cut” instead. Voice: Display song and contact calls not well understood among populations, yet differences seem significant. Subsp jamesii from the S Lowlands gives a distinctive ooo-uh, as well as the more typical calls of the species. A putative Male song is a low, tremulous, prolonged, fluttering wodldldldld accompanying a display with plumage erected and wings fanned forward. Call notes include: kauaugh (like clearing a sore throat—perhaps Female response), kowp, or kyawk. Upland birds have been heard giving Male-Female duets (comprising sounds listed above). Habits: In pairs or in small parties at fruiting trees, where it aggressively displaces other birds. A fig-eating specialist. Flight distinctly floppy and undulating. Nest built at middle-story height suspended from a fork in the branch of a small tree; a shallow cup of vine tendrils without leaves or wood. Eggs (1–2) pink-buff, spotted and blotched. Range: NG, Aru Is, and SE Is (3 main D’Entrecasteaux Is), 0–2000 m. Lowland-dwelling populations: S Lowlands and Aru Is. Montane-dwelling forms: Bird’s Head and Neck (Fakfak), Central Ranges, most outlying ranges (Van Rees, Foja, N Coastal, and Adelbert Mts), but no records from Kumawa, Wandammen, Cyclops, and Huon Mts. Also Cape York, AU. Taxonomy: May comprise 2 or more distinct species.
Curl-crested Manucode Manucodia comrii |
43 cm. Common canopy fruit eater in forests, gardens, and strand throughout the D’Entrecasteaux and Trobriand Is. Its musical, far-carrying voice is an ever-present and otherworldly sound of the islands. Adult: A large, crowlike bird with curly feathers atop crown and twisted central tail feathers; iris red-brown. Note undulating, floppy flight typical of manucodes. Male: The trachea forms a J-shaped loop on the breast, and in full development the bottom of the J extends around the end of the body and up onto the back. Female: Smaller; no tracheal loop. Juv and Imm: Blacker, duller, and lacking crinkly or curly feathering; iris grey-brown changing to red-brown with age; no tracheal loop. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Trumpet M shares habitat but is smaller, thinner, and exhibits shaggy feathering of neck and nape. Spangled Drongo, with curved outer tail feathers, is much smaller and sits upright. Voice: Typical song is a beautiful, haunting, low, rolling series, descending slightly in pitch and dropping in volume, woodloodloodloodloodl; another version is higher-pitched, more musical and xylophone-like, rapidly descending; another wodldldldld is a deep exhalation and resembles the display song of Crinkle-collared and Trumpet Ms. These songs are delivered throughout the day and even before dawn. Duet is composed of different songs given in sequence. Calls are a variety of single notes: a metallic croak, a scolding ench, and a low clacking. Habits: The most conspicuous bird species in its habitat; Males often perch and vocalize from an exposed branch. Unwary and inquisitive. Solitary, in pairs, or small foraging parties. Eats mainly fruit. Nest built in a midstory tree, suspended from a branch fork; a loosely made cup of vinelets and twigs, decorated outside with leaves, on a base of rotten wood. Eggs (1–2) pale pinkish buff with dark spots and blotches. Range: Endemic. SE Is: 3 main D’Entrecasteaux Is and Trobriand Is, 0–2200 m.
Crinkle-collared Manucode Manucodia chalybatus |
(Manucodia chalybata)
33–37 cm. Common in midstory and canopy of forest in hills and lower mountains, including disturbed scrubby habitat of highland valleys. Stealthy, wary, and difficult to observe except at favored fruiting trees. Adult: A large, blue-black, crowlike bird with an evident “bump” above each eye, formed by a ridge of erectile feathers. Hard to see are the crinkled feathers of breast and mantle, showing in good light as alternating bands of matte black and glittering iridescence. Neck and upper breast usually appear black, but in direct lighting display yellowish-green iridescence; lower breast and belly dark blue with purple gloss. Iris red. Male: Larger. The tracheal loop passes down over the pectoral muscles and extends slightly over the edge of the sternum (lacking in Female and Juv). Female: Smaller; tends to be less purplish, more green-blue. Juv and Imm: Blacker, duller, with feather-crinkling absent; iris brown. Similar spp: Glossy M, in lowlands, is essentially the same shape and color but lacks the “bump” over the eye and the crinkling of feathers of breast and mantle; best separated by song. Jobi M, also lowland dwelling, is nearly identical but it too lacks a bump above the eye and is smaller, shorter-billed, and shorter-tailed, and looks stockier. Trumpet M has shaggy neck hackles. Voice: Song is a slow series of up to 8 hollow, haunting, low-pitched hoo notes on the same pitch; can be followed by response from another bird that is woo owoo owoo owoo owoo owoo on a descending scale. Display song of Male is a deep pigeon-like ummmh or similar single or double note; in display the bird leans forward and expands its feathers and wings. Also a deep, hollow hoouw. Common call note like that of other manucodes, tuck or chook. Makes a variety of other calls. Habits: Seen singly or in pairs. Diet is almost entirely fruit, especially figs; also a few insects. Nest of vine stems similar to other manucodes, includes leaves and is lined with finer stems and fibers. Eggs (1–2) cream-colored with dark markings. Range: Endemic. All NG mts and Misool (NW Is), mostly 600–1500 m (0–1750 m); also a local population on the lower Fly R.
Jobi Manucode Manucodia jobiensis |
30–36 cm. A secretive, little-known, and difficult-to-identify manucode of lowland and hill forest of the North. Shares its habitat with Glossy M, and replaced at higher elevations by the closely related Crinkle-collared M. Jobi M merits attention in the field to better delineate field characters in plumage, behavior, and voice. Adult: All but identical to Crinkle-collared, though lacks eyebrow “bumps” and is smaller on average, more compact, and tail is relatively short and bill marginally smaller. Also, the upper breast is purplish blue (not yellowish green) and the lower breast and belly greenish blue, rather than purplish blue. Iris red. Male: Larger; tracheal loop as in Crinkle-collared. Juv and Imm: As with other manucodes. Similar spp: Glossy M significantly larger and lacks glittery crinkled feathering on breast and mantle, and the dorsal color is generally bluish or greenish, not purplish blue. Voice: Poorly documented. Song is a series of hollow hoo notes, much like that of Crinkle-collared. What may be the display song is described as a drawn-out moan. Call is a harsh chig or bcheg. Habits: As for other manucode species; mainly solitary and shy; probably best observed at fruiting fig trees. Nest and egg similar to Crinkle-collared. Range: Endemic. NG and Bay Is (Yapen, where it is the only manucode), 0–750 m. NG: NW Lowlands and Sepik-Ramu; also western S Lowlands to the Mimika and Setekwa Rs. No records from Bird’s Head and Neck.
(Glossy-mantled Manucode, Manucodia atra)
Male 38–42 cm; Female 33–37 cm. Widespread in lowlands, where common but shy. Prefers forest edge and open woods, i.e., swamp forest, riverine scrub, monsoon woodland, gallery forest, heavy savannah, and mangroves; generally absent from deep forest. The largest mainland manucode, with proportionately long tail. Sleek, lanky, and thin-necked. Breast and mantle glossy, lacking crinkled feathering. Neck feathers short with pointed tips, rather than crinkled. Best identified by its song, a high whistled tone. Like all manucodes, exhibits an exaggeratedly floppy and undulating flight pattern. Wings produce a swishing sound. Adult: Iridescent; iris red. Male: Larger; tracheal loop of mainland birds short, but on Tagula I it is long, reaching over the hind edge of the sternum. Juv and Imm: Dull blackish without prominent iridescence. Subspp (2): ater (NG mainland, NW Is, and Aru Is) dorsal color either greenish or bluish, or most often purplish on islands and SE Pen, high-pitched song; alter (SE Is: Tagula) larger with more massive bill, purplish color, and deep song. Similar spp: Jobi M, also in lowlands, is smaller, more compact, and stubbier-billed, generally purplish, not bluish or greenish, and shows crinkled breast and mantle. Crinkle-collared M co-occurs at the foot of the ranges and exhibits crinkled feathering on breast and mantle and bump over the eye. Eastern Koel male and Black Butcherbird have whitish bills and steady, level flight. Voice: Song is unique and sounds like an electronic tone: a drawn-out, high-pitched, penetrating whistle on a single pitch, eeeEEEEee, that swells in volume then tapers off, and lasts several sec. Song accompanied by a display with erected feathers and partially fanned wings. On Tagula I, the song is a deep hum, MMM…. Call of all races is a chook note typical of the genus. Habits: Singly, in pairs, or in small parties. A shy fruit eater of canopy fruiting trees (mainly figs), but regularly sings from a high, open perch at forest edge. Nest as for other manucodes. Eggs (1–3) cream-colored with blotches. Range: Endemic. NG, NW Is (Batanta, Gebe, Gam, Kri, Misool, Salawati, Waigeo), Aru Is, and SE Is (some small ones near the mainland, plus Tagula), 0–300 m (rarely to 1000 m). Taxonomy: The Tagula I form may qualify as a species.
King of Saxony Bird of Paradise Pteridophora alberti |
Male 22 cm; Female 20 cm. A small canopy dweller of cloud forest in the Central Ranges. Uncommon and seldom encountered except at song perches or at favored fruiting trees. Listen for the weird, insect-like, buzzing song. Male: Unique. Black with a pale ochre breast and belly, and two remarkable erectile and enameled, sky blue head plumes that far exceed the length of the bird. The stiff head plumes can be moved around in all directions, like the antennae of a long-horned beetle. Broad orange wing band in flight. Female, Juv, and Imm: Obscure. The small bill, grey plumage, and fine, scalloped barring below suggest something other than a bird of paradise, perhaps a whistler or bowerbird. Note ochre undertail. Similar spp: Other female birds of paradise are brownish, larger-billed, and show heavier barring. Female bowerbirds and satinbirds lack barring below. Voice: The Male’s song possibly the weirdest of any NG bird. Sounds like a cicada or electrical malfunction, a series of sputtered and jumbled notes poured out at machine-gun pace and suggestive of bad radio static. Lasts 3–4 sec, and gradually swelling in volume finally rising to a twittering climax. Young Males monotonously repeat a jeering call reminiscent of that of the Hooded Cuckooshrike, each note harsh, rolling, and downslurred: chweer chweer chweer…. Habits: Solitary. Diet mainly fruit with some arthropods, gleaned or excavated from bark and moss. Especially attracted to false fig (an epiphytic Timonius shrub). The territorial Male sings in early morning and late afternoon from a high, open perch, usually a dead branch, but subsequently displays to Female on a vine in the understory. Nest, built in a midstory tree, is a shallow cup of orchid and fern stems. Egg (1 only?) pale buff with numerous dark, longitudinal blotches. Range: Endemic. NG Central Ranges minus SE Pen, 1800–2500 m (1400–2850 m).
Western Parotia Parotia sefilata |
(Arfak Six-wired Bird of Paradise)
Male 33 cm; Female 30 cm. Bird’s Head and Wandammen Pen only. Common in mid-mountain forests. Tail of medium length compared with other parotias (see Lawes’s P). Male: Diagnostic combination of medium tail and white forehead. Female, Juv, and Imm: Whitish rather than buff below compared with other parotias; upperparts darker, less brownish and showing less contrast with black head. Note whitish malar stripe. Similar spp: Superb BoP female is smaller, less robust, and smaller-headed and lacks the pale malar stripe. Long-tailed Paradigalla has a longer, pointed tail and longer, narrower bill, and facial wattles. Magnificent Riflebird inhabits lower elevations and is longer-billed. Voice: Typical of the genus. Male “song” is 1 or more very loud, cockatoo-like shrieks: gnaad-gnaad! Also musical piping or mewing calls near display court. Note the varied calls of the Vogelkop Bowerbird could be confused for those of this species. Habits: Social behavior, feeding ecology, courts, and displays similar to Lawes’s P. Nest and egg unknown. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head and Wandammen Pen, 1100–1900 m. Parotias should be looked for in the Fakfak and Kumawa Mts of the Bird’s Neck.
Wahnes’s Parotia Parotia wahnesi |
(Wahnes’ Six-wired Bird of Paradise)
Male 43 cm; Female 36 cm. Confined to Huon Pen (locally common) and Adelbert Mts (nearly extinct). In mid-mountain forest. Tail longest of all parotias. Male: Golden-bronze frontal crest. Female, Juv, and Imm: Russet dorsally and with a black head offsetting a pale eye-stripe and moustachial streak. Similar spp: Unmistakable within its range, but compare with Huon Astrapia and Spangled Honeyeater, the 2 other large, long-tailed, black passerines of the Huon mountains. Voice: Male gives a loud and rather harsh but musical shriek, yeah-yeah or yack-yack or khh kaaakkk with a cockatoo-like quality. Musical, minor squeaks, whines, and twittering notes given around display sites. Habits: Social behavior, feeding ecology, courts, and displays similar to Lawes’s P, as far as known. Nest, no information. Eggs (2) laid in captivity, cream with heavy streaking. Range: Endemic. NG: Huon Pen (1100–1700 m) and Adelbert Mts (1300 m to summit at 1600 m). In the Adelberts, much of its primary forest habitat has been felled for village gardening, and recent searches have failed to find it.
Lawes’s Parotia Parotia lawesii |
(Lawes’s Six-wired Bird of Paradise)
Male 27 cm; Female 25 cm. The parotia of eastern mid-mountain forests, where common. Distinctive shape: a moderately large, robust, and stolid bird of paradise with broad, rounded wings in flight. Striking blue-and-yellow iris in both sexes at any age (as with Western, Wahnes’s, and Eastern Ps, but not Carola’s and Bronze Ps). Male: A chunky, stub-tailed, all-black bird with a long, silvery white patch above bill, head wires with black flag tips (sometimes hard to see), and small, shining, green breast shield. Female, Juv, and Imm: Black-headed and deep brown body, with fine dark barring ventrally. Note pale moustachial streak. Similar spp: See Eastern P. Female could be confused with other female BoPs when not seen well. Female Superb BoP smaller, slimmer, and smaller-headed. Female Carola’s P without black on head and with twin facial stripes. Female riflebirds longer billed. Voice: A loud shaak! and other harsh shrieking notes, delivered once or a few times. Habits: Mostly solitary, but gathers in small numbers at fruiting trees; a bit more socially tolerant than other birds of paradise. Diet is mainly fruit with some animal prey (arthropods, lizards, and probably small frogs) taken in forest canopy and edge. An accomplished bark gleaner of limbs and trunks. Male dances at a terrestrial display court (1–2 m across) established in thicket in tree-fall opening. Each Male has his own court, and courts of different Males are often grouped near each other. The court is fastidiously cleared of leaves (but not carpeted like that of Carola’s P) and features a horizontal perch above for Female viewing. The dance is elaborately choreographed and varies in its sequence among parotia species. Nest placed on a midstory branch or in a vine tangle; a shallow cup of fern tendrils and vines. Egg (1) pale buff with broad dark streaks and some small spots and blotches. Range: Endemic. NG: E Ranges and SE Pen (west to Oksapmin), 1200–1900 m (500–2300 m). Where the ranges of Lawes’s and Carola’s Ps overlap, Lawes’s lives at higher elevations than Carola’s.
Eastern Parotia Parotia helenae |
(Previously classified as a subspecies of Lawes’s Parotia, P. lawesi)
Male 27 cm; Female 25 cm. Replaces Lawes’s P on N watershed of SE Pen. Both sexes of Eastern P nearly identical to Lawes’s but show a steeper, more concave forehead profile (vs forehead sloped and extending forward over the bill in Lawes’s). Eastern thus has more rounded, less tapered head shape. Male: Identical to Lawes’s, but feathered patch over the base of bill is small and bronze-colored (not elongate and gleaming white). Female, Juv, and Imm: Differ from Lawes’s by reduced feathering over the bill that leaves more of bill tip exposed (at least half the bill or more), and the culmen (dorsal ridge of the bill) is sharply keeled (angular or slightly rounded in Lawes’s). Voice: Similar to Lawes’s. Habits: In need of study. Similar to Lawes’s as far as known. Nest and egg similar to Lawes’s. Range: Endemic. NG: N catchment of SE Pen, westward in N to the Waria R, in S probably only to Keveri Hills just west of Mt Suckling, 1100–1500 m (1 record at 500 m). Contact with Lawes’s P has yet to be found. Taxonomy: Previously treated as a subsp of Lawes’s; however, structure and color of the frontal tuft, bill shape, molecular genetics, and preliminary data on display behavior together tip the scales toward species status.
(Queen Carola’s Parotia or Six-wired Bird of Paradise)
Male 26 cm; Female 25 cm. A boxy and big-headed canopy dweller in western and central portions of the Central Ranges; uncommon. Overlaps with Lawes’s P in the E Ranges. Distinctive pale yellow eye in all plumages, unlike blue eye of other parotias. Male: Black with diagnostic white flank plumes, buffy face and throat, and pinkish-gold breast shield. Female, Juv, and Imm: Brown, with breast and belly finely barred black and brown face marked by pale stripes above and below eye. In flight note distinctive russet wing patches. Subspp (4): Minor. Similar spp: All other male parotias, besides this and Bronze P, lack the white flank-stripe. Lawes’s P female has a black head and blue iris and lacks russet wing patches. The smaller Superb BoP female is smaller-billed, smaller-headed, but otherwise a close match in plumage, including russet wing patches in parts of its range (W Ranges). Bronze P most similar, but has isolated range (see that account). Voice: Vocalization is best means of locating this elusive species, but knowledge of local dialect needed. Male’s shriek is higher pitched than that of other parotias and varies geographically, e.g., kwoi-kwoi-eeeng (Mt Stolle, Border Ranges) or kwa-a-a-a-ng (Crater Mt in E Ranges) or whee o weet and other versions. Calls given at courts are small chips, squeaks, and chortles. Habits: Solitary. Birds forage for fruit and animal prey in forest canopy. Gleans insects from bark of branches creeper-fashion. Male dances at a terrestrial court (1–5 m across) cleared in thicket of a tree fall in forest interior. Display courts are often clustered. The Male carpets the court with a mat of rootlike fungi. A horizontal perch above is used by Females for viewing. The Male’s dance is highly complex. Nest and egg unknown. Range: Endemic. Central Ranges, eastward to the Bismarck Range and Crater Mt, 1200–1800 m.
Bronze Parotia Parotia berlepschi |
(Foja Parotia)
Male 26 cm. The Foja Mts sister-form of Carola’s P; uncommon in its isolated range. Differs from Carola’s in the Male’s blackish face and throat and overall bronzed cast, and the iris of both sexes is grey-blue, rather than overall yellowish. Male: Bronzed blackish brown with white flank plumes; iris blue-grey with orange outer ring. Female, Juv, and Imm: Grey-brown dorsally, with rufous brown wing edges. Finely barred below dark on buffy background; forehead frosted white, extending to pale eyebrow. Iris plain grey. Similar spp: No other similar bird of paradise in its range. Voice: Male’s high, sweet call notes are Carola-like, but differ: whee-deent or a rapid di-di-di with the quality of a child’s plastic squeeze-toy. Quiet musical notes, musical squeals, and low scolding near display court. Habits: As for Carola’s P. A reclusive inhabitant of forest canopy. Nest and egg unknown. Range: Endemic. NG: Foja Mts, 1200–1600 m.
Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise Seleucidis melanoleucus |
Male 33 cm; Female 35 cm. Inhabits swampy lowland forest and regrowth, especially along rivers. Uncommon. Best seen from a boat. The wary Male may be tracked down by his song and hissing wings, or in early morning at his display site. The more approachable Female is commonly found in mixed flocks. Male: Shows a bicolored pattern: black in front with rich yellow below and behind. The 12 bent flank-wires are difficult to see. The bird is often observed in undulating flight crossing a lowland river, long bill protruding and wires trailing. Female, Juv, and Imm: Strikingly plumaged with reddish-brown back and tail, black cap, and finely barred underparts. The combination of red eye and pink legs is unique for a BoP. Long, black chisel-bill is prominent. Similar spp: Male riflebirds’ broad and rounded wings rustle, whereas the Male Twelve-wire’s wings hiss. The smaller female riflebirds are brown-capped with a pale eyebrow. Voice: Male gives 3 songs or calls: a harnh or hahn note produced intermittently; a powerful, far-carrying series of 3–8 resonant notes, hahr—haw haw haw; a higher-intensity song is a series of 5 or more koi notes, with a pause after the first note. These series have quality reminiscent of the paradisaeas. Habits: Solitary. Prefers seasonally inundated lowland forest, especially where pandanus and water-loving palms like sago are common. Unplumed individuals seem to wander farther from this ideal habitat into adjacent flat lowland forest and karst forest (Sepik region). Forages in the canopy and midstory for arthropods, fruit, and flower nectar. Especially fond of red pandanus fruit. Seeks arthropods hidden under bark or in pandanus leaves. Males are widely dispersed and presumably territorial. Male sings and displays from atop an exposed vertical spire protruding above the vegetation. Nest situated in the head of a pandanus or sago palm; a bulky cup of pandanus leaf strips, vines, and sticks. Egg (1) off-white with dark longitudinal streaks. Range: Endemic. NG and Salawati (NW Is), 0–200 m. Absent from Trans-Fly and hilly coasts, including Huon and northern SE Pen.
Male 34 cm; Female 28 cm. An often-heard but seldom-seen inhabitant of the forest canopy in lowlands and hills through the western two-thirds of NG. Listen for the double-whistle song. Common in rainforest, less so in monsoon forest and swamp forest. Male terribly shy, Female and young birds less so. Female often seen in mixed flocks with other rufous birds. Riflebirds have a distinctive shape: robust with longish neck, strongly tapered head profile, long bill, and short tail. Male: All black, with a prominent iridescent blue throat shield and crown and rounded wings that rustle loudly in flight. Female, Juv, and Imm: Reddish-brown upperparts, a whitish eyebrow, and long white moustachial stripe; buff-grey ventrally with fine dark barring. Subspp (1): magnificus (endemic). Similar spp: See Growling R, virtually identical but for song. Twelve-wired BoP female, also in lowlands, has a black head, red iris, longer bill. Females of Black-billed and Pale-billed Sicklebills have strongly curved bills and buff or rusty tails. Superb BoP female, usually at higher elevations, is smaller, shorter-billed. Voice: Song is a powerful pair (sometimes 3–5) of upsweeping whistles: wooiieet?—woiit! First note sweeps to a higher pitch than the second note; second note sweeps higher than third note, if there is one. Habits: Solitary, except when at fruiting trees or in mixed-species flocks. Diet largely of arthropods, taken creeper-fashion by gleaning from bark and dead wood. Also fruit. Male seems to be territorial and sings from various canopy perches. He displays on a horizontal perch, such as a thick vine or thin log, a few meters above the ground. Nest placed at midstory level in head of pandanus or fern clump. Eggs (1–2) pale creamy pink with dark streaks. Range: All NG mainland except Trans-Fly and where replaced by Growling R in the E; ranges eastward in the S to Purari R basin and in the N to Ramu R, 0–1200 m (rarely higher). Also Cape York, AU. Taxonomy: Split from Growling R—see below.
Growling Riflebird Ptiloris intercedens |
Male 34 cm; Female 28 cm. Eastern sister-form of the Magnificent R. Nearly identical and best distinguished by growling (vs whistled) song and eastern range. Growling R’s bill is shorter and is covered by a dense mat of feathering at the base of the upper bill covering the culmen ridge. This feature is lacking in Magnificent R, whose culmen ridge is exposed all the way to the base of the bill. Male: Flank plumes are shorter than those of Magnificent, not extending beyond the tail. Voice: Male song is a hoarse, growling kraay? kraoww! Range: Endemic. NG: SE Pen, Huon, and Adelbert Mts, west in S to Purari R basin and in N to Ramu R, 0–1200 m (rarely higher). Both song types have been heard in the Purari R region. Taxonomy: Long regarded as a race of Magnificent R, intercedens is best treated as a species owing to consistent differences in voice, bill, and flank plumes, and by molecular distinction.
Superb Bird of Paradise Lophorina superba |
Male 26 cm; Female 25 cm. A small, vocal, and common bird of paradise of mid-mountain forest, ecologically disturbed areas, and even casuarina and oak copses in highland valleys. Male: Black. Unique for his blue-green breast shield shaped like a pair of wings and the long, thick, black nape-plume (actually a folded cape). Female, Juv, and Imm: Brown with fine black-and-buff barring ventrally; dark head with pale eyebrow in most races. Like a small version of the female parotias that share its habitat. Dark bill and iris. Subspp (6): Plumage and genetics indicate 4 groups. (1) superba (Bird’s Head and Wandammen Pen) Male lacks the black spots on breast shield present in other races, and Female has very dark head and upperparts, with a minimal pale brow trailing the eye; (2) feminina (W and Border Ranges) Female paler with speckled crown framed by a broad, pale wreath; (3) latipennis (E Ranges, Adelbert Mts, and Huon, east to Wau and Herzog Mts) variable and intermediate between the previous race and the next one; and (4) minor (SE Pen) Female has black head, brown back, and lacks an eyebrow or shows only an obscure one. Similar spp: Parotia females are larger, bulkier, bigger-headed, but otherwise very similar in plumage. There is considerable geographic variation in both Superb and the parotias, but this variation is parallel such that at most localities the female of one species looks like the other. Magnificent BoP female same size but shows a pearly blue bill and most have a pale eye-stripe (not eyebrow). All 3 of these species can be found together in fruiting trees. Voice: Male song over most of range is a harsh series of 5–8 grating screeches, e.g., shree shree shree shree shree, becoming more drawn out and emphatic toward the end. Male vocalization on Bird’s Head very distinct, shriller: yia—yia—yia-yia-yia. Calls include a shrill, plaintive note teer! and a sneezy pew! Habits: Solitary. Forages for fruit and arthropods in midstory and canopy vegetation. Hops or creeps along limbs and trunks peering over the side in search of prey; gleans and excavates insects from bark, moss, epiphytes, and dead leaves. Male sings from the canopy throughout his small territory but displays to Female on a recumbent log on or near the ground. Nest is a rough cup of leaves and rootlets placed in a low palm or pandanus crown. Eggs (1–2) brownish buff, marked with dark, longitudinal streaks and splotches. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head and Neck (Wandammen Pen), Central Ranges, Adelbert Mts, and Huon, 1500–1900 m (occasionally 1000–2300 m).
Black-billed Sicklebill Drepanornis albertisi |
(Buff-tailed Sicklebill, Epimachus albertisi)
Male 35 cm; Female 33 cm. Mid-mountain forests. Patchily distributed. Uncommon where found and easily overlooked. Probes branches and takes fruit in the canopy. Smaller than the two long-tailed sicklebills, but same size as other co-occurring BoPs, from which distinguished by distinctive sickle-shaped bill and rounded pale buff or cinnamon tail (varies locally). Differs from Pale-billed S (lowlands only) in having a dark bill. Male: Diagnostic pattern from below—smooth grey breast contrasts with white belly and vent. Lavender tips to long flank plumes glint as bird moves. Female, Juv, and Imm: Abundant fine barring below. Similar spp: Females of the long-tailed Black and Brown Ss, which can share this species’ habitat, differ with blackish face and throat, rufous crown, and long, narrow, ragged tail. Voice: Song is a long, rapidly delivered series of high piping whistled notes that usually rises and increases in volume: dyu dyu dyu dyu dyu dyu dyu dyu dyu dyu dyu whi whi whi…. Loud, with a throbbing quality at close range. Huon population gives a slower series that could be mistaken for song of a Sclater’s Whistler. Display song is a high-intensity series like the preceding that ends in a string of high, hissing notes. Contact note: whenh? Habits: Solitary. Inspects branches and trunks and probes bill deep into cavities to extract insects. Sometimes climbs vertically. Also takes fruits. Males occupy large territories and are widely spaced. Male displays at a favored site—a sloping perch or thin vertical trunk a few meters up or higher in the midstory. Nests in fork of horizontal tree bough; a flattish cup of wiry stems and roots. Eggs (1–2) dull reddish cream with darker spots and dashes. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head and Neck (Fakfak, Kumawa, and Wandammen Mts), W Ranges (Weyland Mts only), Foja Mts, E Ranges, Huon, and SE Pen, 1100–1900 m (600–2300 m). No records from most of Western and all of Border Ranges.
Pale-billed Sicklebill Drepanornis bruijnii |
(Epimachus bruijnii)
Male 35 cm; Female 34 cm. Easily located by song, but very difficult to observe in the canopy of lowland rainforest. Widespread and common within its restricted range. Joins mixed flocks of babblers, pitohuis, and other rufous birds. Unique and weird for its long, curved, ivory-colored bill and shaved-head look, with large, bare, lavender-colored eye-patch and brief “Mohawk haircut”—a strip of short, dark feathers atop the crown. Note rounded, chestnut tail in flight. Slightly larger, darker, and more compact than Black-billed S of the mountains; bald patches on face more extensive. Male: All dusky with black chin and very brief flank plumes showing opalescent tips. Female, Juv, and Imm: Abundant barring on underparts. Similar spp: Male unique. Distinguish Female sicklebill from female Twelve-wire BoP and Magnificent Riflebird by long curved ivory bill (note all 3 are barred below and brown above and are common flock-joiners). Voice: Song bizarre and unique, but reminiscent of some vocalizations of Magnificent Riflebird or Lesser BoP; a loud descending series of musical, hoarse, and hollow upslurred and downslurred notes: kooo’wi … koh’wi … koh’wi … kyu-kyu-kyu often ending with weird gargling notes; contact notes similar to those of a paradisaea. Habits: Singing Males have been found in selectively logged forest and low karst hills as well as lowland alluvial forest. Foraging and diet similar to Black-billed S. Male holds a large territory and displays on a horizontal branch of a midstory tree. Nest and egg unknown. Range: Endemic. NG: NW Lowlands east to W Sepik (Utai), 0–175 m.
Brown Sicklebill Epimachus meyeri |
Male 96 cm; Female 52 cm. The sicklebill of mossy cloud forest, above the elevations of Black S where the two co-occur. More common than Black S. Male: Differs from male Black S by the dusky brown underparts, pale blue iris, and jackhammer song. Female, Juv, and Imm: From female Black S by the olive-brown wing edge (same as rest of wing) and pale blue iris. Subspp: None now recognized, but becoming smaller, with Male’s flank plumes paler, from E to W. Similar spp: Male of Black S distinguished by black breast and red iris; female exhibits bright rufous brown wing edges and dark iris. Astrapias have a short bill and are often seen with female sicklebills; they are overall darker, not as brown, and the tail tip is more blunt, less pointed. Voice: Male’s song is far-carrying (1 km or more) and sounds like the burst of a jackhammer—percussive and unmusical: tat-tat tat-tat-tat or tat-at-at-at tat-at-at-at. Contact call a nasal nhreh! Juv gives a subdued honking note ur ur. Habits: Often solitary; two hen-plumaged birds foraging together are presumably a Female and her offspring. Joins mixed flocks, especially with astrapias. Unwary but difficult to observe; usually seen either at a fruiting tree or searching for animal prey in moss on canopy branches. Occasionally feeds on ground. Male maintains huge territory. He displays on a horizontal branch within the canopy, presumably a habitual display site. Male sings at his display site for a long period in the morning and more sporadically while roaming his territory throughout the day. Nest situated in crotch of a small tree or pandan; a cup of mosses and small vines and rootlets. Egg (1?) pale pinkish buff with heavy blotching and streaking. Range: Endemic. NG Central Ranges, 1900–2900 m (1500–3200 m).
Black Sicklebill Epimachus fastosus |
(E. fastuosus)
Male 110 cm; Female 55 cm. Inhabits a narrow elevational band at the transition from mid-mountain to cloud forest. Often found in steep mountainous country. Rare and local. Seen foraging on trunks and branches in the canopy or midstory or at a fruiting tree. This species and Brown S are large birds of paradise with a very long, pointed tail and a sickle-shaped bill. Male’s far-carrying voice best means of discovery, but the bird himself is often elusive, being shier than the Female. Male: Black with iridescent highlights; black breast, red iris, and song distinguish it from Brown S. Flight silent. Female, Juv, and Imm: Brown with red-brown crown, dusky face, and finely barred breast and belly. Look for the rusty wing edges (contrasting with the rest of the upperparts) and the dark brown iris, to separate from Brown S. Subspp (3): fastosus (Bird’s Head) Male’s underparts distinctly brownish (Brown S absent there); atratus (Bird’s Neck and Central Ranges) Male’s underparts blackish; ultimus (Foja and N Coastal Mts) like previous, but bill shorter and Female more olive. Similar spp: Brown S male has breast obviously brownish and paler than back, and blue iris; Brown S female very similar but for pale blue-brown iris and olive-brown edging to wing feathers. Voice: Male sings early in the morning. Song is a pair of powerful, quick, liquid, identical notes: variously kwink! kwink! or bwik bwik! On Bird’s Head, spoidit! spoidit! more like Brown S. Call notes are guttural or honking, similar to those of Brown S. Habits: Mostly solitary; joins mixed-species flocks. Progresses through the trees in leaps and bounds. Flies slowly in flaps and glides. Probes and excavates mossy canopy branches, epiphytes, and vine clusters. Visits fruiting trees; particularly fond of the orange fruits of pandan vines and trees. Males spaced kilometers apart. Male displays from atop a vertical stub in midstage of forest interior. Nest in midstory tree and composed of orchid stems, vines, and moss. Egg unknown. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head and Neck (Wandammen Mts); W, Border, and E Ranges (east to Kratke Range); Foja Mts; and N Coastal Mts, mainly 1800–2200 m (1300–2600 m).
Long-tailed Paradigalla Paradigalla carunculata |
Male 37 cm; Female 35 cm. The paradigalla of the Arfak Mts (and possibly Tamrau and Fakfak Mts). A slim, all-black bird with velvety plumage, long graduated tail, and yellow forehead wattles. Gape wattles blue and red. Male: Iridescent scaly crown. Female: Like a smaller, duller version of the Male. Juv: No information, but see Short-tailed P. Similar spp: Short-tailed P, not present in range of Long-tailed P, has a very brief tail. Voice: Only known vocalization is a single slightly musical note on a monotone wheeeee? of 2 sec duration, repeated every 15 sec or so. Habits: This is the least-known bird of paradise. At one locality in the Arfak Mts, it was found to be common in a patch of secondary forest. It seems to be primarily a fruit eater. Mating system unknown. Nest similar to Short-tailed P. Egg, no information. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head (Arfak Mts), presumably 1400–2100 m. Should be looked for in the Tamrau Mts and mts of the Wandammen Pen. Taxonomy: An unnamed form of paradigalla has been seen in the Fakfak Mts.
Short-tailed Paradigalla Paradigalla brevicauda |
22–23 cm. Inhabits mossy cloud forest where it is easily overlooked. A compact, all-black bird with longish bill and short tail. Yellow forehead wattles, blue gape-wattles. Male: Crown exhibits greenish, scaly iridescence. Female: Like Male but duller, longer-tailed, and smaller. Juv: Dull and lacking iridescence on crown. Similar spp: Long-tailed P, only in the Bird’s Head and Neck to the west of Short-tailed P, has an obviously longer tail. Loria’s Satinbird male much smaller and lacks yellow wattles and longish bill. Male Lawes’s Parotia larger-headed, smaller-billed, and with head wires. Voice: Songs/calls described as a melodious hoo-ee? or rising zheee. Also a loud, powerful, high-pitched, mournful whistling of 4 clear, ascending notes, the last prolonged and rising in pitch. Calls include a throaty croak and a churr churr churr. Habits: Usually seen singly in middle and upper stages of mossy forest, often at fruiting trees; also probes moss of canopy branches for prey. Assumed polygynous, even though the sexes look alike. Display unknown. Female alone attends the nest. Nest placed 5–10 m up in fork of sapling; a substantial cup lacking sticks but having moss, ferns, orchids, and tendrils; inner cup lined with dry leaves. Egg (1) pale pinkish buff, dark-spotted and blotched. Range: Endemic. NG: W, Border, and E Ranges (E extent of range unknown; no records from Kratke Mts), 1600–2400 m (1400–2650 m).
Arfak Astrapia Astrapia nigra |
Male 76 cm; Female 50 cm. Bird’s Head, where it is the only astrapia. Uncommon. A reclusive, blackish, long-tailed fruit eater of the cloud forest. Male: Entirely blackish with green and bronze highlights; tail extremely long, broad, and round-tipped; Male’s wings rustle in flight. Differs from other male astrapias by the lobed, black nape crest and the bronzy-bordered gorget extending up along the sides of the neck to the eye. Female, Juv, and Imm: Blackish, long-tailed, with the faintest pale barring on flanks and belly. Most similar to female Huon A, but pale barring on underparts virtually absent, fainter than any other astrapia. Similar spp: Black Sicklebill has similar look, but has a sharply pointed tail and long, curved bill (may be difficult to see at first). Long-tailed Paradigalla has yellow forehead wattle and the tail isn’t so long. Voice: Mostly silent. Call note a brief clu-uk. Habits: Little known. Forages for fruit; also takes prey by probing moss and epiphytes in the canopy of montane forest. Display similar to Huon A. Nest and egg unknown. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head (Arfak Mts; sightings from Tamrau Mts), 1700–2450 m.
Huon Astrapia Astrapia rothschildi |
(Rothschild’s Astrapia)
Male 69 cm; Female 47 cm. The astrapia of Huon mountains. Male: All black with a very long, broad, blunt-tipped, black tail; note green belly and bronze breast band. Lacks bronze neck-stripe of Arfak A and has instead of nape crests a purplish nape shield. Wings make distinctive flight sound. Female, Juv, and Imm: Blackish, long-tailed, with fine whitish bars on breast and belly, more pronounced than the very similar Arfak A. Similar spp: Huon Parotia also long-tailed, but tail broader, shorter, and wedge-shaped. Spangled Honeyeater is large and black with a substantial but shorter tail and shows yellow facial skin and white spotting on breast. Voice: Mainly quiet. Call notes include a kak kak kak kak and also a muffled scolding jj jj or jiw jiw, a typical astrapia wenh? note, and a low growl. Habits: Similar to other astrapias. Male displays in trees on ridge crest in forest or at edge of clearing (male clustering in leks not yet observed). Male gives 2 displays. In one, Male perches erect with tail pushed forward under perch and slightly spread. In the other, Male hangs upside down from canopy branch with tail spread and raised, and in this position may sway and step side to side. Male also hops back and forth between perches. Nest a shallow cup of vines and rootlets in a foundation of leaves and moss. Egg (1) pinkish buff marked with blotches and streaks. Range: Endemic. NG: Huon Pen, 1500–3500 m.
Splendid Astrapia Astrapia splendidissima |
Male 39 cm; Female 37 cm. The astrapia of the Western and Border Ranges. Inhabits cloud forest to timberline. Common. Male: Dark-bodied and compact, with unique paddle-shaped tail, short for an astrapia. Predominantly greenish and highly iridescent, with diagnostic white basal half of tail. Wings hiss somewhat in flight. Female, Juv, and Imm: Blackish, barred black-and-brown below, and with diagnostic white in base of tail. Tail evenly graduated. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Female Ribbon-tailed A (borders Splendid’s range to E) has narrower tail usually with at least a trace of white, and the central tail feathers are by far the longest; the head has more of a greenish sheen. Voice: Various froglike or insect-like call notes: to-ki, or jeet, or tch tch tch, or gree. Not very vocal. Habits: Solitary. Diet mainly fruit. Gleans for prey in moss and epiphytes. Breeding display unknown, but lekking aggregations suspected. In one case, 4 Males seen at the edge of a natural meadow perched in high open branches ~40 m from each other; they occasionally called when Females were in the vicinity. Nest and egg, no information. Range: Endemic. NG: Western and Border Ranges, east to the Victor Emanuel, Hindenburg Mts, and Mt Stolle, and presumably not crossing the Strickland Gap, 1800–3450 m.
Ribbon-tailed Astrapia Astrapia mayeri |
(Ribbon-tailed Bird of Paradise)
Male 125 cm; Female 53 cm. The astrapia of the western sector of the E Ranges. Common. A quiet and confiding fruit eater inhabiting the cloud forest upward to timberline. Where it co-occurs with Stephanie’s A, the Ribbon-tailed inhabits the higher elevations. Hybridizes with Stephanie’s. Male: Small dark body, pompom atop bill, and stupendous pair of narrow, white, ribbonlike central tail feathers. Wings rustle in flight, like those of Stephanie’s A. Female, Juv, and Imm: Blackish, with brown-and-black ventral barring and distinctive greenish sheen on head and small tuft over the base of the bill. Central tail feathers pointed and much longer than the rest. The central tail feathers may show some white on the shaft and as blotches near the base, and may even resemble those of the Male, but not nearly as long. Similar spp: Female Stephanie’s has broader and more rounded tail feathers, and the tail is evenly graduated; crown has less green sheen, and there is no tuft over the base of the bill. Ribbon-tailed × Stephanie’s hybrids show mixed features of both species. Voice: Varied, loud, froglike notes: waugh or whistled whit-whit or wreden wheep! Or minor contact notes: koit?, kurrgh!, wurr?, and wurit? with a questioning tone. Display vocalization of Male is also varied: grrrow grr grr or hisss-sss-ssh or a loud sharp keaooo-ooo-ooo. Habits: Solitary. Forages in trees and shrubs at any height, but mainly beneath the upper canopy. Eats fruit. Attracted to fruiting schefflera plants. Hunts for prey on canopy branches and trunks by methodically searching and picking at bark and moss. Displays at traditional sites in the treetops. Here a few Males gather and jump back and forth between branches, showing off their streaming tails. Male also jumps side to side on perch, making parted tail plumes sway back and forth. A flap-and-glide display flight undulates the tail in a sine-wave. Nests usually in an isolated sapling inside the forest at midstory level; a cup of large leaves and pieces of pandan fronds covered by wiry orchid stems. Egg (1) buffish pink or beige, marked with dark brown blotches and streaks. Range: Endemic. NG: E Ranges, from Mt Hagen and Mt Giluwe west to the Kaijende Highlands (Porgera) and Muller Range, 2500–3400 m (rarely down to 1800 m). Hybrids are common between the Ribbon-tailed and Stephanie’s As on Mt Hagen and at the Tari Gap, below 2700 m.
Stephanie’s Astrapia Astrapia stephaniae |
(Princess Stephanie’s Bird of Paradise)
Male 84 cm; Female 53 cm. The astrapia of NG’s eastern cordillera, where common in cloud forest up to timberline. Hybridizes with Ribbon-tailed A. Male: Black, with iridescent green head and spectacular all-black streamer tail. Tail uniquely shaped: the extremely long, 2 central feathers are very narrow at the base and flare toward the tips. The tail is surprisingly stiff and held in a graceful drooping curve. Wings make a loud rustling in flight. Female, Juv, and Imm: Dull black with black-and-brown ventral barring. Head all black (essentially lacking green sheen), no tuft over base of bill, and the long, black tail is evenly graduated, the feathers blunt-tipped. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: See Black Sicklebill and Brown S, with which Stephanie’s often consorts. Female of Ribbon-tailed A has a distinctive greenish sheen on crown, small tuft over base of the bill, white flecking in narrower tail, pointed tips to the tail feathers, and the central pair of tail feathers is much longer than the rest of the tail. Voice: Mainly quiet, but calls varied. Male gives a high, shrill series: kri kri kri kri from high display perch. Other Male calls include nge nge nge and ss ss ssw ssw. Also a loud whistled weert-wheet similar to Ribbon-tailed A. Calls are catlike or froglike notes such as whenh? and a melidectes-like hoo-hee-hoo-hee … given by several birds at once. Habits: This species and Ribbon-tailed are the most studied astrapias. Solitary, but may join with sicklebills to form small foraging flocks. Eats a variety of small fruits, and often seen at schefflera plants. Forages for arthropods, and presumably small frogs and skinks, by methodically searching tree limbs and trunks, picking at or excavating the bark and epiphytes and dropping debris in the process. Males (2–5) display communally in canopy branches on ridge crest or flank, or at forest clearing. Displaying Male repeatedly leaps back and forth between 2 perches, his tail flowing behind. In low-intensity display, he stops to swing his tail forward beneath the perch in an inverted V. Nest placed 10 m up in forked branch of sapling or in climbing bamboo; nest is a cup of leaves and roots covered on the outside with orchid and fern stems. Egg (1) pale pinkish buff with dark streaks and spots. Range: Endemic. NG: E Ranges (from Tari eastward) and SE Pen, 1500–2800 m (1300–3500 m).
King Bird of Paradise Cicinnurus regius |
Male 16 cm; Female 19 cm. The smallest mainland bird of paradise. Inhabits forest, edge, and second growth in lowlands and foothills. Common but inconspicuous. Male: Red and white; tail wires tipped with disk-shaped, green plumes; legs cobalt blue. Female, Juv, and Imm: Dull brown, darker and plain dorsally, and paler and profusely barred ventrally. Lacks facial markings; head with a long, tapered profile and a pale yellow bill. Bill darker in younger birds. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Female Magnificent BoP similar but slightly larger, has blue-grey bill and eye-stripe. Voice: Song of Male is a slow, swelling series of nasal, paradisaea-like notes: rahn rahn rahn rahn … or a rapid ki kyer kyer kyer kyer kyer…. Also twinned call notes kyeer-kyer. Habits: Solitary, but joins mixed flocks of larger black or brown insectivores. Forages at all levels. Diet a mix of fruit and insects. Male sings and displays from a subcanopy tangle of shaded vines in forest interior. Males may be stationed ~75 m apart in duos and counter-sing. Only known nest was in a tree-hole 2 m up; the hole was filled with palm fibers. Eggs (2) creamy pink with brown streaks. Range: Endemic. NG (minus Trans-Fly), NW Is (Misool and Salawati; record for Batanta probably erroneous), Aru Is, and Bay Is (Yapen), 0–300 m (rarely to 850 m).
Magnificent Bird of Paradise Diphyllodes magnificus |
(Cicinnurus magnificus)
Both sexes 19 cm. In hilly country from the foot of the ranges up into lower mid-mountains. Common but seldom seen except at fruiting trees or at the display court. Best located by voice. The only small mainland bird of paradise with a bright blue-grey bill and legs. Also note the blue-grey eye-stripe in all plumages. Male: Weird-looking in life, colors generally muted in the forest interior; look for reflective tail wires and contrasting dark ventral and light dorsal pattern. Female, Juv, and Imm: Dull brown above, finely barred below. Subspp (3): Minor variation. Similar spp: Female King BoP quite similar but for ivory bill and no eye-stripe. Voice: Male calls mostly from display court. Typical song is a rapid, rolling series of ~8 loud, downslurred churr notes, growing louder and more insistent. Also a single note kyerng! Near court, Male gives a cussing ksss—ks ks ks—ksss. Habits: Solitary, but joins mixed insectivore flocks. Diet mostly fruit, plus some insects and spiders. Look for this bird at fruiting trees, which it shares with other species of BoPs. Male is territorial only at his display-site; neighboring male courts are a few hundred meters apart. Male display site is in a tree-fall thicket within forest interior, often on a steep slope. Court, ~1–2 m across, is cleared of leaves; standing in the court is a vertical sapling on which the Male displays. Nest a cup of roots, fibers, and moss placed in a low pandan or shrub. Eggs (1–2) pale greyish, boldly marked with streaks and blotches. Range: Endemic. All NG mts, Salawati (NW Is), and Yapen (Bay Is), 0–1450 (1600) m.
Wilson’s Bird of Paradise Diphyllodes respublica |
(Cicinnurus respublica)
Both sexes 16 cm. The small bird of paradise of Waigeo and Batanta Is. Common in hill forest, less so in lowlands and mountains. Located by the Male’s song. Both sexes instantly identified by the bald, cobalt-blue crown crossed with black lines. Male: Green below, red and yellow above; note curled tail wires. Female, Juv, and Imm: Dull brown above, finely barred below. Similar spp: Magnificent BoP absent from Wilson’s range. Voice: Similar to that of Magnificent BoP. A rolling trill: chu chu chu chu chu chu; a sharp explosive ketch; a soft, high-pitched teel. Habits: Habits similar to Magnificent BoP. Nest and egg unknown. Range: Endemic. NW Is (Waigeo and Batanta), 0–1200 m.
Blue Bird of Paradise Paradisornis rudolphi |
(Paradisaea rudolphi)
Both sexes 30 cm. Mid-mountain oak forests and regrowth of the eastern Central Ranges. Uncommon, and best located at Male’s morning calling perch or by observation at a favored fruiting tree. An unmistakable BoP, dark with distinctive broken white eye-ring, prominent white bill, and blue wings in all plumages. Male: Blue breast and blue-and-amber flank plumes; long black tail-streamers. Female, Juv, and Imm: Brown breast, variably barred. Subspp (2): Minor. Voice: Song is a slow, cadenced, and plaintive series of notes, more nasal and higher pitched than those of a typical paradisaea advertisement series: wahr wahr wahr wahr wahr wahr wahr. When moving around from song post to other sites, the Male gives low growling notes, a rolling: brrn brrn…. During inverted display a low, rhythmic, machine-like grating or humming noise is produced by the Male. Habits: Solitary and intolerant, driving other BoP from fruiting trees. Diet is fruit and arthropods extracted from bark and epiphytes on branches in usual BoP fashion. Male is perhaps territorial. He sings from a high, open perch and displays to the Female near the ground in a concealed site. Nest placed in the fork of a low branch in forest or scrub; a flat cup that varies in materials used (strips of pandanus leaves, or tendrils and vines, or orchid stems). Eggs (1–2) pale pink-buff with darker streaks. Range: Endemic. NG: E Ranges and SE Pen, from the Tari and Kompiam areas southeastward to the central Owen Stanley Range (to about the Kokoda region), 1400–1800 m (1100–2000 m). Apparently patchily distributed and absent in some areas that appear suitable for the species.
Emperor Bird of Paradise Paradisaea guilielmi |
(Emperor of Germany Bird of Paradise)
Male 33 cm; Female 31 cm. Mid-mountain forests of the Huon Pen, mainly above the elevational range of the similar-looking Raggiana and Lesser BoPs. Common. Male: Crown and extensive breast-bib dark green; the mostly white flank plumes are short and sparse; also a white patch on lower belly. Female, Juv, and Imm: Dark face includes entire crown, and yellow nape extends far onto back. Iris dark, unlike Raggiana or Lesser. Similar spp: Male Lesser BoP with yellow-and-white plumes and brown breast; female Lesser with white breast and belly. Female Raggiana with more limited yellow on the back of the head and neck and with distinctive chocolate breast band. Voice: Some songs sound similar to those of Raggiana and Lesser but others very distinct: kar kar kar kar kar kar (series descending and melancholy); or whok whok whok … or an excited group call by 2 or more Males given with speed, cadence, and energy: pio-pio-pio-pio-pio-p-p-p-p; or weer weer weer weer weer (high and plaintive); also a lazy kah—kah. Habits: Similar to Raggiana and Lesser BoPs but perhaps even more gregarious. Nest is a deep cup with a foundation of leaves and made of tendrils and vines. Eggs (1–2) whitish to pale pinkish marked with dark streaks. Range: Endemic. NG: Huon Pen, 700–1400 m (350–1500 m). Replaced at lower elevations by the Raggiana in E Huon, and by the Lesser in W Huon, and hybridizes with both.
Red Bird of Paradise Paradisaea rubra |
Male 33 cm; Female 30 cm. The red-plumed bird of paradise of Waigeo and Batanta Is. Widespread and common; inhabits canopy of lowland and hill forest. Bill yellow, unusual for a paradisaea. Male: Curved, red flank plumes and a pair of prominent, long, curling, black tail-streamers. Green face with rounded, cushiony crest above each eye. Female, Juv, and Imm: Chocolate-faced and with broad breast band of dull yellow that connects to the yellow nape. Similar spp: None on these islands. Voice: Song a loud, clear wak wak wak …; a throaty and guttural work—wok, wok, wak, wak, wak …; or a loud and clear work—wau wau wau wau; a high-piched ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-ca. Call a low throaty rolling growl: grrrrr. Habits: Similar to other paradisaeas. Nest unknown. Eggs (1–2) pale pinkish buff, presumably with streaks and spotting of darker color. Range: Endemic. NW Is of Batanta and Waigeo, also nearby Gam and Saonek, 0–600 m.
Goldie’s Bird of Paradise Paradisaea decora |
Male 33 cm; Female 29 cm. The plumed BoP representative on Fergusson and Normanby Is, where uncommon and patchy. Inhabits hill forest and regrowth; rarely in the lowlands. Male: Red flank plumes, yellow crown and mantle, and unique grey breast. Female, Juv, and Imm: Dull yellow crown, chocolate throat, and finely barred breast, unusual for a paradisaea. Similar spp: None in these islands. Voice: Wok wok wok … or wark wark wark … or whick-whick; or a Male duetting of waak notes; an explosive and sharp whit whit whit…. Habits: Similar to Raggiana BoP, but forages from the canopy to the ground. Nest and egg unknown. Range: Endemic. SE Is: Fergusson and Normanby of D’Entrecasteaux group, 0–600 m.
Lesser Bird of Paradise Paradisaea minor |
Male 32 cm. The plumed BoP of the North and West. Locally common in lowland and hill forest, edge, and regrowth, including near human settlement. Noisy; heard persistently through forest in its range. Male: Abundant yellow-and-white flank plumes and yellow crown, nape, and mantle merging into the brown back. From Greater BoP by smaller size, flank plumes typically more white than yellow, yellow mantle and wing-coverts, and absence of blackish breast cushion. Female, Juv, and Imm: Unique snowy white breast and belly. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Male Greater BoP exhibits a sharply separated brown mantle and black cushion on breast. Raggiana BoP female shows maroon-buff underparts, without white. Voice: Songs of displaying Males variable, given separately or in a chorus: whik wang—wau wau wau wau; or wak wak wak …; or waik waik waik…. Notes are more liquid, with greater range between high and low notes, than those of Raggiana BoP. Habits: Singly or in small parties. Often in mixed-species flocks with other BoP species and large insectivores. Forages in midstory and lower canopy. Diet includes fruit and animal prey, gleaned from canopy branches. Males display in canopy lek of 1–7 plumed individuals, plus many unplumed Males. Nest a cup of twigs, vine stems, and leaves set in fork of tree branch. Eggs (1–2) creamy pink, spotted and streaked. Range: Endemic. Northern NG (Bird’s Head to Huon), Misool (NW Is), and Yapen (Bay Is), 0–1000 m (locally to 1600 m). Meets Greater on the SE Bird’s Neck somewhere between Lakahia/Etna Bay and Mimika R; no hybrids reported. Meets Raggiana in the upper Ramu R and on N flank of Huon Pen, where the two hybridize. Also hybridizes with Emperor BoP.
Male 43 cm; Female 35 cm. The plumed BoP of SW NG and Aru Is. Male: Abundant yellow-and-white flank plumes, prominent blackish breast cushion, and brown back sharply contrasting with yellow nape. Female, Juv, and Imm: Entirely rich brown, darker on head and breast and paler on belly. Note bright yellow eye and pale blue bill. Similar spp: Lesser BoP male exhibits a yellow mantle and wing-coverts, lacking in Greater. Raggiana BoP female shows yellow cast on the nape offsetting the dark face, and paler breast and belly. Voice: Advertisement song wank wank wank wank wok wok wok and variations of this, much like Raggiana. Habits: Habits much like those of Lesser and Raggiana. Nest unknown. Egg (1) pale pinkish buff marked with streaks and splotches. Range: Endemic. NG and Aru Is, 0–950 m. NG: Western S Lowlands between Mimika and Fly Rs. Meets Raggiana at the Fly R (Kiunga and Bensbach) where hybrids are known. May meet the Lesser in the West, but range overlap and hybrids are unknown.
Raggiana Bird of Paradise Paradisaea raggiana |
(Count Raggi’s Bird of Paradise)
Male 34 cm; Female 33 cm. E NG. A characteristic species of the lowland and hill forests, extending farther into the mountains than Greater and Lesser BoPs. Relatively unwary; can be found in forest, edge, gardens, and regrowth. This bird is featured on the national emblem of PNG. Male: Abundant red or orange flank plumes and narrow yellow forecollar. Female, Juv, and Imm: Exhibit diagnostic yellowish crown and nape framing the dark face, dark brown breast, and pale maroon-brown belly. Subspp (4): salvadorii (eastern S Lowlands, E Ranges, and southern SE Pen, east to Cloudy Bay) brown mantle and brick-red flank plumes; raggiana (far SE Pen, east of Cloudy and Goodenough Bays) Male with yellow mantle and orange-red flank plumes; intermedia (N coast of SE Pen, Mambare R to Collingwood Bay) like previous but much yellow dorsally; augustaevictoriae (Ramu R east to Mambare R in northern SE Pen) yellow from nape to rump, and pale orange plumes. Similar spp: Greater BoP female dark-headed and without the distinct dark breast band. Lesser BoP female white ventrally and dark-crowned. Emperor BoP female with dark brown underparts, dark crown, and dark iris. Voice: Song is a loud wau wau wau wau wau! and variations of this; or a dozen or more loud caw notes that rise in pitch and decelerate; display call is a high-pitched and rapid keening series that rises in pitch and intensity: ki ki ki ki ki ki ki. Habits: Similar to Lesser and Greater BoPs. Nest a bulky cup of fibers, rootlets, vine tendrils, and dry leaves set in the fork of a branch in a small tree. Eggs (1–2) pale pinkish buff with streaky markings. Range: Endemic. NG: eastern S Lowlands (west to Ok Tedi R and Trans-Fly), E Ranges, Huon, and SE Pen, 0–1400 m. Rare in the flat country and most common between 500 and 1000 m. Meets both Lesser and Greater BoP and hybridizes with them; see those accounts.
AUSTRALASIAN ROBINS: Petroicidae
Though superficially similar in many respects to the robins and flycatchers of Eurasia and Africa, the Australasian robins are not closely related to these birds and stand as a well-defined and separate family. The 46 species live in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands. The New Guinea Region is home to 25 species, most of which are confined to New Guinea itself. Robins appear to be poor colonizers of islands—only 6 species occur on the satellite islands, and many satellite islands have no robins at all. Robins occupy all habitats, from the mangroves reaching into the sea, through all types of forest to the highest peaks, far above timberline.
This is a diverse group of insect eaters that includes terrestrial ground-robins and scrub-robins and flycatchers that live high in the forest canopy, and one that exclusively frequents streamsides. However, most dwell in the forest interior close to the ground, where they search for prey while perched almost motionless, clinging to the side of a vertical stem or trunk and darting down to snatch up their food. They forage independently and do not flock, although some will occasionally join mixed feeding flocks. Each pair or family group maintains a territory from which it excludes others of its own kind and other similar robin species. Perhaps because of this territoriality, each species tends to occupy a characteristic elevational band to which it is perhaps better suited than neighboring robin species. As a result, one encounters a succession of different “thicket-robin” species when proceeding up a mountain.
Most robin species have conspicuous musical whistled songs. They build cup nests on a stem or forked branch. The flycatchers build an especially small, cup-shaped nest adhered to a branch; not only does the nest blend in perfectly with the bark, but so does the mottled chick, which adopts a head-up pose like a miniature frogmouth. The juvenile plumage of all robins is quickly lost, and because this plumage is rarely seen (indeed it is undescribed for some species), we do not present it for most species. The juvenile plumage is usually brown, often with light tips to the wing feathers.
While some robin species are easy to find and observe, those living close to the ground can be shy and retiring and are best located by listening for their song and then approaching with care or using playback recordings.
Greater Ground-Robin Amalocichla sclateriana |
20 cm. Largest robin, robust and long-billed. Inhabits subalpine forest floor. Usually rare, local, and inconspicuous, but nevertheless vocal. Note long stilt legs and short, droopy tail. Adult: Olive brown above with dingy white throat, grey breast and flanks with vague, dark scalloping on throat and breast. White loral spot obscure. Juv: Rufous with dark mottling and scaling. Subspp (2): occidentalis (W Ranges) browner and underparts more mottled; sclateriana (SE Pen) more olive. Huon population undetermined. Similar spp: Lesser GR at lower elevation is half as big, with lighter proportions and brownish breast and flanks. Island Thrush juv, of more open habitats, is darker below and with medium tail. Voice: Song is a brief, somber tune of mellow, humanlike whistles; 2–5 notes, typically 3 notes in SE. Readily imitated. Call a sharp scolding. Habits: Skulks in the drenched, mossy, branch-tangled understory where feeds on invertebrates, such as beetles. Solitary or paired, wary and missed if not for song. Little known. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG, disjunct: W Ranges, Huon, and SE Pen (Mt Kumbak near Wau east to Mt Suckling), 2500–3900 m. Seemingly absent in Border and E Ranges, but perhaps overlooked.
Lesser Ground-Robin Amalocichla incerta |
14–15 cm. Similar to the preceding species but smaller and more dainty, with smaller, thinner bill; widespread and common. Also lives on montane forest floor but at lower elevation. Adult: Diagnostic combination of brownish breast and flanks and conspicuous white forehead spot and throat. Juv: Buffy plumage with dark scalloping. Subspp (3): Regional color shifts in need of better documentation. Similar spp: Greater GR twice as big and at higher elevations; scaly grey breast and flanks. Mountain Mouse-Warbler half as small, shorter legs, and lacks white loral spot. Voice: Song is a beautiful tune of usually 6–7 clear, piping notes of higher pitch than Greater GR. The notes jump around in pitch and usually end on a low note. Mountain Mouse-Warbler song lower pitched and coarser (slurred or burry); also, Mountain MW tends to repeat phrases in its song and also to repeat song type before switching to a fresh type. Could also be confused with Papuan Logrunner. Call notes include a brief, buzzy engk and a high-pitched eeez followed by a harsh chatter. Habits: Similar to Greater GR. Runs or hops, pausing after each few steps to scan for invertebrate prey. Nest on ground or in tree hole 1 m up; nest an open cup of moss and other materials. Egg (1) whitish with spotting. Range: Endemic. NG, all mts within its elevational range (no records from Fakfak, Kumawa, and Cyclops Mts), 1750–2500 m (1400–2700 m extremes).
Green-backed Robin Pachycephalopsis hattamensis |
15 cm. A common mid-mountain robin of forest understory in W NG, but shy and easily overlooked. Adult: A unique white-eyed robin exhibiting whistler-like plumage pattern with grey head, white throat, and green body. Juv: No information. Subspp (4): Minor; subtle color shifts. Similar spp: Banded Yellow R lacks white throat and has prominent dark breast bar. White-faced R is obviously smaller, dark-eyed, and with a clear yellow breast. Voice: Song similar to Black-capped R: a series of clear, piercing, short whistled notes, 1/sec, either regularly or with occasional brief pauses. Calls, similar to White-eyed R, include a piercing upslurred disyllabic whistle and a rising series of ~5 buzzy slurs. Habits: Habits similar to better-known White-eyed R. Where the 2 species co-occur, Green-backed replaces White-eyed at higher elevations. One nest in liana 0.5 m up; no other nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG and Bay Is (Yapen), 700–1600 m. Bird’s Head east in South to E Ranges, in North to Foja Mts.
15–16 cm. The common grey robin of mid-montane forest floor and understory; vocal, but furtive and difficult to observe. Adult: Generally grey with white iris and throat. Juv: Similar, but tinged brown. Subspp (4): Subtle color differences, including lack of buff in undertail (SE Pen, Huon), amount of white in face, amount of brown and darkness in wings, tail, or head. Similar spp: No other grey robin has white eye, but see dark-eyed Smoky and Blue-grey Rs, which abut White-eye’s elevational range. Voice: Song similar to Green-backed R, slower than Black-capped R. Call is a single, loud, ringing, whistled note, rising in inflection: periwee? or kerwee?; also 4–7 buzzy notes, each upslurred and about a half tone higher than the preceding note. Habits: Generally above the elevational ranges of Black-sided R and Banded Yellow R and below those of Black-capped R and Blue-grey R. Often heard, rarely seen. Perches motionless on a horizontal stem; descends to ground to pounce on prey or launches off with rustling wings. Also, hops on the ground or log, stopping to listen with head cocked. Nest built in a sapling, ~1 m up; nest a cup of rootlets and green mosses. Egg (1) buff white and covered with dark blotches. Range: Endemic. NG: Central Ranges, N Coastal Mts, Adelbert Mts, and Huon, 1000–1700 m (400–2150 m).
Garnet Robin Eugerygone rubra |
10–11 cm. A petite, fantail-like robin, inconspicuous and uncommon in montane cloud forest. Behavior first clue to identity: perches horizontally, nervously jerks about and slowly flashes wings, showing white blaze across flight-feathers and white in tail. Note narrow white eye-ring. Male: Maroon-red upperparts, with grey face and underparts. Female: Same pattern, but green replaces red. Juv: Reddish brown, paler below. Similar spp: Red Male unique. Gerygones, Fantailed Berrypecker female, and fantails lack white in wing. Voice: Song a rising and falling tinkling series of ~10 very high notes, incessantly repeated, often with a segment of trilled notes. Call is a delicate, upslurred, mewing note: uwee, uweeo or deeyu. Habits: An inconspicuous resident of forest interior, foraging from understory to subcanopy. Usually alone or with mixed feeding flock. Gleans insects from foliage, often by sallying. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head and Neck (Kumawa Mts), Central Ranges, Foja Mts, and Huon, 1700–2500 m (1400–3700 m).
Subalpine Robin Petroica bivitatta |
(Mountain or Alpine Robin)
11–12 cm. A small black-and-white robin of the highest mountains; rare and local in subalpine forest and shrubland. Black with white breast and forehead spot. Narrow white wing bar. Male: Black. Female: Sooty black. Juv: No information. Subspp (2): caudata (W Ranges) little white in tail; bivittata (E Ranges, SE Pen) outer tail feathers extensively white; Huon population undetermined. Similar spp: White-winged R is all black below. Voice: Generally quiet. Song a loud, deliberate dad dad dad…. Habits: Keeps to the canopy of stunted alpine forest. Solitary, paired, or small parties. Active and acrobatic—perches upright on horizontal branch and sallies out to fly-catch and hover-glean. Slowly progresses through the forest from one foraging perch to the next. No nest information. Egg (clutch?) grey-brown with a ring of spots. Range: Endemic. NG, where sketchily known through Central Ranges and mts of Huon Pen, 2700–3500 m.
Snow Mountain Robin Petroica archboldi |
(Snow Robin)
14 cm. Restricted to a few peaks in the W Ranges, where locally common; inhabits rocky alpine scree at the highest elevation of any NG bird. Conspicuous and noisy, seen perched on rocks. Adult: Sooty black with red breast patch. Juv: Lacks red breast and white forehead. Similar spp: None. Voice: Song unknown. Calls are loud chips and slurred notes suggestive of a Willie Wagtail and harsh scolding notes. Habits: The only avian denizen of rock faces and boulder slopes. In small parties of 3–6. Stolid, perches on rock waiting and looking about; flies down to ground or rock to capture arthropod prey and returns to same perch or flies off to new one. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG: W Ranges (Mts Carstensz/Jaya and Wilhelmina/Trikora), 3800–4200 m. Might be expected on summits of Mts Goliath/Yamin and Juliana/Mandala.
Flycatchers or Flyrobins. The 6 New Guinea species sort out spatially by habitat. Three species live in forests and segregate by elevation: Olive F in the lowlands, Yellow-legged F in the hills, and Papuan F in the mountains. Lemon-bellied F occurs patchily in open habitats and savannah, and Jacky Winter is confined to the Port Moresby savannahs. The distinctive Torrent F lives only along stony creeks and rivers.
Yellow-legged Flycatcher Kempiella griseoceps |
(Yellow-legged Flyrobin, Yellow-footed Flycatcher, Microeca griseoceps)
12–13 cm. Local, uncommon, and inconspicuous in mid-mountain forest where it frequents subcanopy and midstory; also Trans-Fly. Adult: A small, cryptic robin with unique combination of white throat, pale yellow breast, and yellow legs. Head grey, but this color difficult to see. Lower bill is yellow. Juv: Brown with pale spotting. Similar spp: No other flycatcher has white throat and grey head. White-faced Robin shares habitat but is bright yellow below and has white face. Grey Whistler somewhat similar but larger and has dark legs; gleans casually and does not sally. Voice: Song is a fairly loud succession of 4–8 sweet notes, some trilled, similar to song of Black-fronted White-eye. Call a high-pitched lisping: chh—chchchchch—the second series descending in pitch; repeatedly delivered. Habits: Mainly in mid-mountain forest, but also occupies lowland forest in Trans-Fly. May venture into forest openings. Similar to Papuan F, but keeps to the canopy mostly. Noticed only when making short, dashing flights to a new perch or to capture prey. An occasional cooperative breeder (AU data). Nest on midstory branch; a small, neat cup of rootlets decorated with bark and lichen (AU data). Eggs (2) pale blue, finely speckled. Range: NG and Aru Is. Most NG mts (no records from Kumawa, Wandammen, and Foja Mts, and Huon), 600–1600 m; also, locally in E Trans-Fly, 0–100 m. Also Cape York, AU.
Olive Flycatcher Kempiella flavovirescens |
(Olive Flyrobin, Microeca flavovirescens)
13–14 cm. Common in midstory of lowland and hill forest. Adult: A small, yellowish-olive robin, plain but for its yellow lower bill and legs. Has the most obvious eye-ring of any flycatcher. Juv: Brown above with pale spotting; note white eye-ring and yellowish legs. Similar spp: Yellow-legged F, also with yellow lower bill and legs, has white throat and grey head. Lemon-bellied F has black lower bill and legs, occupies open habitat. Voice: Song is a quiet, monotonous, rapid whistling, the disyllabic notes 6/sec: uliuliuliuliuliuli…. Calls include a chatter and a hinge note. Habits: Occupies forest midstory; may venture into forest openings. Joins mixed feeding flocks. Flips or shivers tail. Forages in typical flycatcher fashion. Nest built on horizontal branch in midstory; a small neat cup decorated with moss. Eggs (2) undescribed. Range: Endemic. NG, NW Is (Batanta, Misool, Waigeo), Bay Is (Yapen), and Aru Is, 0–1000 m (rarely to 1500 m).
Papuan Flycatcher Devioeca papuana |
(Canary Flycatcher or Flyrobin, Yellow Flycatcher, Microeca papuana)
12–13 cm. Common in interior of high mountain cloud forest. Adult: A small robin with rich yellow underparts and bright orange legs. Juv: Brown and green above, heavily pale-spotted, yellow legs. Similar spp: None in its habitat, but be aware of 2 small, yellow-legged robins of mid-mountain forest: Yellow-legged F has white throat and is paler yellow below; White-faced Robin has white face. Voice: Song is a high-pitched, formless, brief tinkling warble within a narrow range, descending in pitch and reminiscent of that of the White-shouldered Fairywren. Call is a weak, sibilant tseet. Also a repeated dry scold note. Habits: Singly or in pairs, tame. Perches quietly mainly in midstory and above, sallying for flying insects. Periodically flutters wings and tail while perched. Nest on midstory branch; a small neat cup. Egg, no information. Range: Endemic. NG, all mts high enough (no records Kumawa and Cyclops Mts; absent from Adelbert Mts), 1700–3500 m.
Jacky Winter Microeca fascinans |
(Microeca leucophaea)
14 cm. Scarce and local resident of Port Moresby savannah. Apparently no recent records. Adult: A small, upright flycatcher, nondescript dingy brown above, whitish below, with diagnostic white outer tail feathers, especially evident in flight. Juv: Like Adult, but with pale spotting above and dark spotting below. Subspp (1): zimmeri (endemic). Similar spp: Other related flycatchers are yellow or olive below—only Yellow-bellied F shares its habitat. Pied Bushchat female has a dark breast and white rump. White-winged Triller female has white in wing and obscure barring on sides of the breast. Voice: A cheerful, repeated, medium-high note or pair of notes. (Performs song-flights in AU.) Habits: Locally distributed in small colonies. Singly, in pairs, or in family parties. Flycatches from stump, fence, or low tree, often returning to the same perch and foraging close to ground. Takes small insects midair or from the ground. Switches tail from side to side. Nest built on a horizontal branch fork; nest a small cup camouflaged with bark and lichen (AU data). Eggs (2) bluish, dark-spotted. Range: NG: Port Moresby savannah region of SE Pen, lowlands. Also AU.
Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster |
(Lemon-bellied Flyrobin)
12–13 cm. A patchily distributed but common savannah species that also occupies towns and large clearings in the forest, from lowlands up into deforested mountain valleys. Adult: Differs from other yellow-breasted flycatchers by its all-black legs and bill (may be paler at base of lower bill). Throat whitish; note yellowish eyebrow and no eye-ring. Juv: Brown and pale spotted above; white with brown markings below. Subspp (3): Poorly defined but varying in brightness of yellow. Similar spp: Other yellow flycatchers have yellow/orange legs and live mainly in forest interior. Grey Whistler larger, forages by foliage gleaning. Voice: Song energetic medley of repeated elements (slurs or brief single notes), each element successively repeated several times; abrupt pauses and restarts within each song. Sings perched, but also performs a high, circling song-flight, larklike. Habits: In savannah trees, mangroves, gardens, towns, and road clearings through the forest. Singly, in pairs, or family parties; the cooperative breeding behavior observed at AU nests has not yet been reported from NG. Perches conspicuously in open canopy, singing repetitively and sallying. Nest built on branch fork in tree crown; nest a tiny, neat cup decorated with bark and nearly covered by sitting bird. Eggs (1–2) bluish with dark speckles and blotches (AU data). Range: NG and Aru Is, 0–1500 m. Also AU.
Torrent Flycatcher Monachella muelleriana |
(Torrent Flyrobin)
14–15 cm. Locally common. Forages over rocky streams and rivers from foothills up to the transition with cloud forest, both in primary forest and disturbed habitat. Adult: A whitish robin with bold black cap, wings, and tail. Juv: Shares this pattern but is missing the white supraloral spot, upperparts are faintly pale-spotted, and underparts are brownish mottled. Subspecies (1): muelleriana (endemic). Similar spp: Torrentlark may share habitat but has black back and throat and is larger, noisier, and more nervous. Voice: Calls frequently. Song a clear, high-pitched whistled series of up to 8 peeping notes. Call is a single such note. Habits: Lives in small groups that occupy territories along fast-flowing, rocky streams. Perches on rock, gravel bar, or overhanging branch, and sallies out to take insects, usually returning to the same perch. Bobs or wags tail. Nest on a thin branch; nest a wide cup of thin rootlets and lichens adhered to its substrate with mud. Eggs (2) undescribed. Range: NG, Bird’s Head to Central Ranges, also Foja, N Coastal, and Huon Mts, foothills to 1800 m. Also New Britain I.
Papuan Scrub-Robin Drymodes beccarii |
(formerly included in Northern Scrub Robin, D. superciliaris)
20 cm. A lanky, thrushlike, terrestrial robin that inhabits forest interior mainly in hills and lower mountains, also locally in S Lowlands. Adult: Black vertical bar through eye, white throat, white wing bars, long tail, and long pink legs. Juv: Crown feathers edged black, throat and breast flecked brown. Subspp (3, in 2 groups): beccarii (Bird’s Head and Neck and N NG east to Sepik-Ramu) upperparts blackish brown; brevirostris (S Lowlands, Aru Is, SE Pen) upperparts cinnamon. Similar spp: None, but compare with Russet-tailed Thrush. Voice: Song unique, a slow series of ~5 high-pitched, minor key, drawn-out whistles (1/sec), each note dropping slightly, then maintaining pitch in the final segment. Other songs described as having fewer, but similar drawn-out whistled notes. Can be confused with quail-thrush or jewel-babbler song. Scold is a quiet skusssh. Habits: Difficult to observe. Quietly forages alone on ground, usually under cover. Takes invertebrates. Hops a few times, then pauses to look around. Slowly raises and lowers tail. Occasionally raises tail up to a 45-degree angle, then flashes its wings, with head erect. Nest (AU data) built in depression next to a tree or log; nest a stick cup lined with dead leaves and fibers. Eggs (2) pale grey, thickly spotted and blotched. Range: Endemic. NG and Aru Is, 0–1400 m. NG: throughout, although no record from Fakfak and Kumawa Mts (Bird’s Neck) and Huon. Taxonomy: Split from Northern Scrub-Robin (D. superciliaris) of Australia on DNA differences of subsp brevirostris. Subsp group beccarii of equally distinct appearance has not been sampled for DNA.
(Grey-headed Robin, Poecilodryas albispecularis)
15–16 cm. The Bird’s Head/Neck representative of the Black-capped Robin. Adult: An overall greyish and much duller version of Black-capped, lacking the black cap and white eyebrow. No other robin within its range shows the white cheek patch connecting with the eye. Voice: Rapid bursts of 8–12 identical pee notes at a steady rate. Habits: Presumably similar to Black-capped R. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head (Arfak and Tamrau Mts) and Neck (Kumawa Mts), 1600–2400 m. Taxonomy: The unnamed Heteromyias robin of the Foja Mts resembles this species, but its relationships are unknown at this time.
Black-capped Robin Heteromyias armiti |
(formerly Grey-headed or Ashy Robin, Heteromyias/Poecilodryas albispecularis)
15–18 cm. Frequents forest floor and understory at the transition from mid-mountain forest to cloud forest; locally common but usually rare. Heard, but difficult to see. A medium-large robin with long, pale legs. Adult: Prominent white throat patch that connects to the eye. Distinctive black cap and white eyebrow. White window in wing noticeable in flight. Most of upperparts olive, underparts tinted grey and ochre. Male: Distinctive white bill tip. Juv: Rufous with hint of Adult pattern. Subspp (2): rothschildi (W Ranges to E Ranges) olive-brown back; armiti (SE Pen, Huon, Adelbert Mts) greenish-olive back. Similar spp: None in its habitat. Black-chinned R (lowlands), also with white eyebrow, is black and white. Voice: Song is a rapid, monotonous series (~15 sec) of musical, medium to high-pitched whistled notes, 4–5/sec delivered at a jerky, uneven rate. Another song is an ascending series of paired notes, the second note dropping in pitch. Call is a soft, pleasant whistle, eeya—eeyuwee. Alarm call of several harsh notes. Habits: Singly or in pairs; very shy and elusive. Clings motionless to a thin, vertical stem waiting for prey or hops about on ground. Eats small invertebrates. Nest built 1–3 m up in a sapling near the stem; nest a cup composed of rootlets, tendrils, twigs, leaves, and moss. Egg (1) buff and heavily marked. Range: Endemic. NG Central Ranges, Adelbert Mts, and Huon, 1600–2400 m. An undescribed form resembling Ashy R inhabits the Foja Mts. Taxonomy: Formerly treated as conspecific with Ashy R and Grey-headed Robin (H. cinereifrons) of AU. DNA divergence for subspp rothschildi and armiti suggests the two may be separate species.
Black-chinned Robin Heteromyias brachyurus |
(Poecilodryas brachyura)
14–15 cm. An uncommon robin of forest interior in northern lowlands and hills. Note pale legs, compared with dark legs of the more common Black-sided R. Adult: Striking black and white with thick white eyebrow and black chin. Juv: Like Adult but heavily smudged with brown. Subspp (2): brachyurus (Bird’s Head and Neck, far W Ranges) back dark grey; dumasi (NW Lowlands and Sepik-Ramu; Yapen I) back black. Similar spp: Black-sided R co-occurs (mainly in forest edge and second growth) but the white eyebrow does not extend much beyond the eye, and the chin is white, not black; also has a black mark on side of breast and dark legs. Voice: Song a rapidly descending series of 9 whistled notes; plaintive and resembles song of Fan-tailed Cuckoo. Habits: Occupies forest midstory. Singly or in pairs. Forages by perching motionless, sometimes on vertical perches, and sallying out to snatch insects. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. Northern NG and Yapen (Bay Is), 0–650 m. NG: Bird’s Head and Neck (Wandammen), NW Lowlands, and Sepik-Ramu.
Black-throated Robin Plesiodryas albonotata |
(Poecilodryas albonotata)
18–19 cm. Uncommon in subcanopy and midstory in transition from mid-mountain to cloud forest. Adult: A large, distinctive robin of upright posture and black face interrupted by a white horizontal streak. Juv: Pale cinnamon; said to show white neck streak. Subspp (3): albonotata (Bird’s Head) and correcta (SE Pen, Huon) underparts mostly white; griseiventris (W, Border, and E Ranges) underparts mostly grey. Similar spp: Not to be confused with a cuckooshrike. Voice: Song unique—an extremely high-pitched but quite loud, insect-like, thin upslur, repeated 2–4 times; like an electronic tone and easily overlooked. Also a ringing note typical of other robins. Habits: Seen singly. Perches upright and motionless, may slowly raise and lower tail; sallies out to pluck insects from foliage or midair. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG mts (Bird’s Head, Central Ranges, Huon), 1600–2300 m (rarely to 2700 m).
The Poecilodryas and Peneothello robins. These 6 species are similar in size and in their perch-and-pounce foraging technique, and all live in the understory and lower midstory and segregate by habitat. A 5-species altitudinal sequence is formed by Black-sided Robin in the lowlands, then White-rumped R in hill forest, Smoky and Blue-grey Rs in mid-mountain forest, and White-winged Robin in cloud forest. Smoky R is a western species, Blue-grey R is widespread, with a geographic range of overlap within which Smoky lives at elevations above Blue-grey. Lastly, Mangrove R is named for its main habitat.
Black-sided Robin Poecilodryas hypoleuca |
13–15 cm. The common robin of lowland and hill forest. Adult: A black-and-white robin with distinctive facial pattern showing a dark eye and lores bracketed by white; there is also a black mark on the side of the breast. Juv: Brown, with white belly and undertail-coverts. Subspp (3): Minor. Similar spp: see Black-chinned R. Voice: Song a descending series of 4 clear whistled notes, with a pause after the third note. Call a loud, disyllabic whi-chew, the first note staccato and higher pitched, the second more explosive. Habits: Seen singly, shy. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG and NW Is (Batanta, Misool, Salawati, Waigeo), 0–300 m, but to as much as 1200 m in absence of other understory robins. Most of NG mainland, except E half of SE Pen and Trans-Fly.
White-rumped Robin Peneothello bimaculata |
13–14 cm. Uncommon and local in hill forest understory. Adult: Black with white on rump, undertail-coverts, and bend of wing. Juv: Sooty brown with reduced amounts of white. Subspp (2): bimaculata (species range except next) belly white; vicaria (Adelbert Mts, Huon, and N slopes of SE Pen) Male’s belly black, Female’s with some white. Similar spp: White-winged R has dark rump, lives at higher elevations. Pied Bushchat larger and occupies grassland. Voice: Song regionally variable. A pleasant, ringing medium-pitched series of 6 whistled notes, lasting 2 sec, the first note at higher pitch; quality suggestive of mouse-warbler song. Also a series of 9 or more rapidly delivered rolling notes, becoming slightly higher pitched and speeding up toward the end. Habits: Elevational range above Black-sided R and below White-eyed R. Habits similar to other thicket-robins. No nesting information. Range: Endemic. NG and Bay Is (Yapen), 700–1100 m (300–1700 m). NG: Bird’s Head, Central Ranges (no records from most of N slope), Foja Mts, Adelbert Mts, and Huon.
White-winged Robin Peneothello sigillata |
14–15 cm. Common in cloud forest and at timberline of high mountains. Adult: A compact, velvety black robin with a white patch on the inner flight-feathers. Juv: Plumage similar to Adult but heavily overlaid with brown spotting and streaking. Subspp (3, in 2 groups): sigillata (species range except next); quadrimaculata (W Ranges) white patch on side of breast. Similar spp: None in its habitat. White-rumped R (hill forest) and Pied Bushchat (grassland and scrub) have white rump and undertail-coverts. Voice: Song a beautiful piping trill, sometimes rising, sometimes gradually falling in pitch. Calls include a sharp note peek! and thin metallic ones. Habits: Singly or in pairs; tame and easily observed. Perches quietly on mossy branches in midstory or understory, pouncing on moving arthropods. Nest built on the fork of a forest sapling, 1–3 m up; nest a bulky cup of rootlets and moss. Egg (1) light olive with sparse, dark markings and darker cap. Range: Endemic. NG Central Ranges and Huon, 2400–3900 m.
Mangrove Robin Peneothello pulverulenta |
(Eopsaltria or Poecilodryas pulverulenta)
14–15 cm. Common but patchily distributed along NG coast and some rivers in mangroves and thickets. Adult: Grey, with white throat, white in tail, and all-dark wings. Juv: Brown above, whitish below, streaked or flecked throughout. Subspp (2): pulverulenta (mainland NG) head and neck darker than back; leucura (Aru Is and AU) head and neck greyer, not contrasting with back, breast greyer. Similar spp: Broad-billed and Leaden Flycatchers lack white throat. Voice: Song a mournful, 3-note whistle, all notes on same pitch—easily imitated to draw the bird in. Also a whistled monotone lasting ~1 sec, usually followed by a similar note at lower pitch. Call a sharp whistle. Also a churring and chattering. Habits: Usually in mangrove interior, but also melaleuca swamp forest near Port Moresby and in reed beds and mangrove-like shrub-thickets along Sepik R. Singly or in pairs. Perches in understory and midstory, often on a vertical stem, dropping down on the ground for prey. Nest built on midstory branch; a compact cup of bark strips and fiber. Eggs (2) green with dark spots. Range: NG and Aru Is, sea level. NG: more prevalent on S coast, though absent from Trans-Fly; local on N coast; inland on Sepik and Fly R and Lake Daviumbu in S Lowlands. Also AU.
14–15 cm. A common robin of mid-mountain and cloud forest in the West. Adult: Upperparts smoky grey, underparts vary geographically. Juv: No information. Subspp (3): cryptoleuca (Bird’s Head and Foja Mts) underparts entirely grey; maxima (Bird’s Neck: Kumawa Mts) underparts entirely white; albidior (W Ranges) underparts grey except belly greyish white. Similar spp: Blue-grey R has distinct bluish wash, lacks pale belly, and has a different voice. Voice: Song is an ascending, decelerating whistled trill, much slower and louder than that of Blue-grey R, ending in a disyllabic flourish. Call is a dry, 1- to 2-note chip. Habits: Similar to the more widespread Blue-grey R, but Smoky occurs at higher elevations than Blue-grey where the ranges of the two overlap. Nest 2 m up in a forest sapling; a mossy cup lined inside with ferns and plant fiber. Egg (1) pale brown wreathed with reddish-brown splotching. Range: Endemic. NG: Bird’s Head and Neck (Kumawa), far W Ranges, and Foja Mts, 1400–2200 m.
Blue-grey Robin Peneothello cyanus |
(Slaty Robin)
14–15 cm. The common understory robin at the transition between mid-mountain and cloud forests. Adult: Uniform bluish grey. Juv: Grey with brown shaft streaking and spotting. Subspp (2): Minor. Similar spp: Smoky R. Voice: Distinctive and varied series of loud, musical songs. One is a loud, cheery teeder teeder teeder…. Another is a series of softly whistled, mellow, trilled notes, running together and ending with an excited upslurred note: dudududududududududu-WHI! A similar series gradually rises in pitch, and lacks the final explosive note. Call is a staccato, musical whik or chwink. Habits: Elevational range generally above that of White-eyed R and below White-winged R, or Smoky R in W NG. Singly or in pairs. Active but shy; moves through thickets and under and middle stories of forest. Rarely observed in the open. Will approach an observer, watch from an open perch for a few seconds, then flee with whirring wings. Cocks tail when perched. Forages in a manner similar to other thicket-robins. Nest as high as 6 m in a sapling, built of rootlets and moss and covered with fern leaves. Egg (1) light olive with sparse markings. Range: Endemic. NG: nearly all mts (no record from Kumawa Mts), mostly 1500–2400 m.
Banded Yellow Robin Gennaeodryas placens |
(Olive-yellow Robin, Poecilodryas or Eopsaltria placens)
14–15 cm. Locally common but rarely encountered because of its patchy distribution and restriction to a narrow elevational band in hill forest. Frequents understory. Adult: Unusual color pattern with brilliant yellow half-collar framed by an olive breast band. Juv: Similar but tinged brown. Similar spp: Difficult to confuse other yellow-breasted robins or whistlers. Voice: Song a beautiful, slow, flutelike series of 5 notes with the first 1 or 2 notes detached. Habits: Behavior similar to other understory robins that feed mainly from the ground. Its elevational range is sandwiched between Black-sided R in lowlands and other hill forest robins above (e.g., White-faced and White-eyed Rs); may or may not co-occur with White-rumped R. Nest built 1–2 m up on a branch of a forest sapling; nest a cup of roots, etc. with moss on outside. Egg, no information. Range: Endemic. NG and NW Is (Batanta), 500–1100 m (0–1450 m). Known from scattered localities on Bird’s Neck, far W Ranges, S slope of E Ranges, E Sepik-Ramu and Adelbert Mts, and SE Pen.
White-faced Robin Tregellasia leucops |
11–13 cm. A common and characteristic bird of the understory and midstory of mid-mountain forests, also a population in S Lowlands. Inconspicuous; scolds but rarely sings. Adult: A small, white-faced, green-and-yellow robin. Note orange-yellow legs. Bill mostly orange in E Ranges and S Lowlands. Juv: Extensively smudged with brown; only a hint of Adult facial pattern. Subspp (9, in 4 groups) vary mainly in facial pattern and bill color: leucops (Bird’s Head to S slope of W Ranges) white only in front of eye, divided by black forehead line; melanogenys (mts of NW Lowlands to Huon) entire face white, bill mostly black; wahgiensis (E Ranges and western SE Pen, locally S Lowlands) white face, bill mostly orange; albifacies (eastern SE Pen) white face, black forehead stripe and bill mostly black. Similar spp: Green-backed R also has white face, but is larger and has a green breast, brown wings, and white eye. Flycatchers lack white in face and perch upright. Fairy Gerygone is the only other bird with white in the face, but is slimmer and an active foliage gleaner. Voice: Song, rarely heard, is a muted, musical, whistled 5-note phrase. Calls include a plaintive, descending scolding: ch-ch-ch …; a soft, thin see, repeated 4–5 times; a squeaking sound like a wet cork rubbing on glass, usually given twice; and a quiet tsip repeated indefinitely. Habits: Singly or in pairs. Nervous and shy, but readily observed; often seen perched on side of tree trunk, scolding. Nest in sapling fork, 3–4 m up; a large, neat cup of grasslike leaves and fiber. Eggs (1–2) white with dark spots and blotches. Range: NG (all mts) and Yapen (Bay Is), 600–1600 m; at 0–100 m in S Lowlands (mouth of Fly R). Also AU.
LARKS: Alaudidae
The larks (98 spp) occur nearly worldwide, but most species inhabit Africa and Eurasia. Only 1 Asian species reaches New Guinea and Australia. Larks are small to medium-sized, cryptic, ground-dwelling birds of open grasslands. They walk or run over the ground, searching for insects and seeds. They are best known for their lengthy, breathless songs given on the wing during special song-flights.
Horsfield’s Bushlark Mirafra javanica |
(Singing Bushlark, Australasian Lark)
13 cm. Patchily distributed and locally common. Seen along roadsides and airfields, more generally in openings of short grass amid taller grassland habitats. Lowlands to mid-mountains. All plumages: A small, chunky, brownish or blackish-brown ground bird with a unique, hesitant, mothlike flight. Note the conical, stubby bill; much streaking; rufous patches on wings; and white outer tail feathers. Subspp (1): timoriensis (also Wallacea: Timor I). Similar spp: Pipits are slimmer, have longer legs and thin bills, and lack rufous on flight-feathers. House Sparrow female is larger, lacks dark streaking on the head, and shows a small, white shoulder patch. Voice: Sings in the air for long periods, hovering on fluttering wings; also sings from atop a bush or other perch. Song is a typical larklike, high-pitched, accelerating trilled song, including whistled upslurs. Call: pk note. Habits: Solitary, in small parties, or seasonally in large congregations on S coast. Picks up seeds and insects from the ground. Perches readily on small shrubs or rocks, often crouches or runs for cover rather than flushing. Nest is a small cup of grass stems in a depression on the ground in grassland. Eggs (2–4) white with dark spots and blotches (AU data). Range: NG: Sepik-Ramu to northern SE Pen, mid-mountain valleys of E Ranges and western SE Pen, Port Moresby area, and Trans-Fly, 0–1700 m. Also SE Asia to AU. Taxonomy: Singing Bushlark (M. cantillans) of Africa and India has been split from M. javanica.
BULBULS: Pycnonotidae
The 151 species of bulbuls are a family of Asian and African songbirds. Not native to the New Guinea Region, 1 species has been recently introduced. Bulbuls are slender songbirds of forest and open country. Many species are crested. Generalist feeders, they capture invertebrate prey by gleaning and flycatching, and many species also take fruit and nectar. They are monogamous breeders and build a cup nest among the foliage of a tree or shrub. Often abundant in human-dominated environments.
Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster |
15–20 cm. Introduced to Biak I and Jayapura area. First reported in 1995. Seems to be established, yet true status unknown, and needs to be confirmed with photos or specimens. A conspicuous, garrulous, easily recognized bird of towns and countryside. Grey with black head and tail; pale rump; tail with white tip. Adult: Unique black face, short crest, and white ear-coverts. Juv: Face and cap brownish. Subspp: Presumably aurigaster (Java, Bali); birds sighted on Biak exhibit the diagnostic yellow undertail. Voice: Song is a varied, high-pitched, halting warble, kwi-kwi-kwikwikwi-kwikwi-kwikwi … etc. Single- and double-noted calls. Habits: Singly, in pairs, or in small groups. Feeds in trees and also descends to ground. Nests 1–3 m up in shrub or small tree; nest a compact, flimsy cup. Eggs (2–4) (nest and egg, Asian data). Range: Established on Biak (Bay Is); sighting from Lake Sentani near Jayapura (NW Lowlands). Originally S China, Indochina, and Java (where possibly introduced).
SWALLOWS AND MARTINS: Hirundinidae
The swallows and martins are a large and distinctive family of songbirds (88 spp) adapted to life on the wing. The family is most diverse in Asia and Africa and is placed with the insectivorous passerid bird families, such as warblers and tits, centered on those continents. In a biogeographic sense, swallows and martins are recent arrivals to New Guinea. Only one species is known to breed in our region (Pacific Swallow), whereas 6 species are overwintering migrants—three species from northern Asia and 3 from Australia. The names swallow and martin are used in our region for genera either with tail-streamers or without, respectively, but the names do not indicate relationship among the genera. Swallows and martins resemble swifts but are not related to them. They share the same trim, aerodynamic shape, long pointed wings, a broad head on a short neck, and small bill, legs, and feet. Unlike swifts, they can perch on branches and wires, and in flight the wings bend more at the wrist. Their diet is insects caught in flight. The New Guinea species avoid forests and are generally found flying over open habitats such as grasslands, gardens, and towns, mainly in the lowlands. All species are drawn to wetlands where aerial prey is abundant. Swallows and martins are sociable birds, congregating in flocks, sometimes of more than one species. This is useful for finding the rare species, which tend to associate with the more common ones. They are moderately vocal, giving chirping and twittering calls.
Sand Martin Riparia riparia |
(Bank Swallow)
12 cm. Migratory vagrant from Asia. Favors open country, especially over or near bodies of freshwater or along the seacoast. Adult: A small brown swallow with clean white underparts divided by a dark breast band. Juv: Similar, but upperparts pale-scalloped and throat buff-tinged. Subspp (1): presumably ijimae (breeds in E Asia; winters in SE Asia). Similar spp: The brown swiftlet species have grey-brown underparts and lack a breast band. Voice: Call note a brief tschr or schrrp. Habits: To be looked for during austral summer. Range: 2 records from NG: E Ranges and Huon, 0–1800 m. Also Eurasia, Africa, N and S Amer.
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica |
(Common Swallow)
15–18 cm. A rare to locally common Asian migrant. Favors wetlands, mainly in lowlands; also visits highlands. Adult: Similar to Pacific Swallow but note long tail wires, clean white underparts, and darker, more reddish face with dark rufous throat separated from white breast by an obvious black throat band (rarely missing). The contrast between the dark throat band and white breast is sharp, unlike the Pacific S’s gradual transition from brown throat to grey breast. Male tail wires longer. Beware that growing tail wires may be short like Pacific S. Juv: Tail short, but outer pair of feathers thin; overall duller, with face paler rufous. Subspp (1): gutturalis (breeds in E Asia; winters in SE Asia to NG and AU). Similar spp: Welcome S adult also has long tail wires but lacks black throat band and has dingy grey underparts. These field marks less well defined in juv Welcome S. Voice: Calls are chipping notes and twittering. Habits: Overwinters during austral summer. Singly or in flocks, often with other swallows. Hawks insects over marshes and other wetlands. Range: Widespread in the NG Region, though no records yet from SE Is, 0–2000 m. Also Eurasia, Africa, N and S Amer.
Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica |
13 cm. The only resident NG swallow, common in cities and towns. Adult: Upperparts glossy black, throat rufous brown blending into grey breast and belly. Tail short and notched but lacking streamers, although outer pair of tail feathers pointed; essentially the same in Male and Female. Juv: Not glossy; outer tail feathers rounded. Subspp (2): frontalis (NG range except that of next subsp) darker underparts, tail spots very small; albescens (Trans-Fly to SE Pen) paler underparts, tail spots larger. Similar spp: See Barn S and Welcome S—both have long tail wires. Voice: Song is twittering and chattering. Call swee. Habits: Has expanded with human settlement, nesting on wooden buildings and other structures and feeding in open areas. Natural habitats include cliffs for nesting, as along the seacoast and offshore islets. Avoids expanses of closed forest. In pairs or small flocks. May associate with other swallows when feeding. Some local movement and disperses readily to colonize new nesting sites. Nests on sea cliffs, building eaves, bridge trestles, etc., selecting a sheltered, darkened recess; nest a mud cup lined with grass and feathers, plastered on a ledge or corner. Eggs (2–4) white or pale pink, spotted. Range: Throughout NG Region, but in SE Is on D’Entrecasteaux Is and Misima I only, 0–2000 m, rarely higher. Also India, SE Asia, Sunda Is, Philippine Is, eastward through Melanesia to W Polynesia.
Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena |
13–17 cm. Australian vagrant to NG south coast. Adult: Long tail wires separate most Welcome S from otherwise very similar Pacific S. Male tail wires longer than Female’s; thus, Female more likely to be confused with Pacific S. White subterminal tail band broader in Welcome than Pacific. Lacks faint dark striations on flanks and belly as Pacific is said to have. Juv: Probably not reliably separable from Pacific. Subspp (1): presumably neoxena (E AU). Similar spp: Also see Barn S. Voice: Similar to Pacific S. Habits: Similar to Pacific. Range: A few records from SE Pen (Port Moresby area). Also AU and NZ. Taxonomy: Sometimes treated as a subsp of Pacific Swallow.
Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica |
(Hirundo daurica)
16–17 cm. An uncommon and irregular Asian migrant. A fork-tailed swallow with conspicuous orange rump and pale underparts with dark streaking. Adult: Back glossy blue-black, rump orange, long tail wires (slightly longer in Male). Juv: Back brownish black without gloss, rump buff, outer tail feathers pointed and protruding but not forming long wires. Subspp (1): presumably japonica (breeds in E Asia; wintering range uncertain, but includes NG Region and N AU). Similar spp: Barn S lacks streaking on white underparts, no rufous rump patch. House and Fairy Martins have short, notched tails without wires, and the rump patch is white. Voice: Call reep; twittering. Habits: Frequents open areas, mainly in the lowlands, less often in mountain valleys. Overwinters during austral summer. Singly or in small groups, often with other swallows. Flight slower and more buoyant than other swallows; wings appear broader. Range: Perhaps throughout, but most records are PNG sightings, 0–1500 m. Also S Eurasia and N Africa.
Tree Martin Petrochelidon nigricans |
(Hirundo nigricans)
12 cm. A common and widespread AU migrant during austral winter. Possibly uncommon resident breeder. A small black-and-white swallow with a conspicuous white rump patch. Forehead with small rufous patch, visible only at close range. Tail notched. Adult: Forehead bright rufous, back glossy black. Juv: Forehead paler buff, back dull brownish black. Subspp (2 reported): nigricans (breeds in Tasmania) rufous forehead redder, rump and underparts more saturated with ochre, more heavily streaked below; neglecta (uncertain whether present in NG Region; breeds in E AU) rufous forehead less reddish, rump and underparts paler, narrower streaking below. Similar spp: Pacific Swallow lacks white rump patch. Fairy M has rufous cap. Voice: Calls drrt drrt and twitterings. Habits: Nonbreeding resident in austral winter. Frequents open habitats, drawn to wetlands, mainly in lowlands and foothills, singly or in groups, often with other swallows. Flocks build during migration. (Nesting should be looked for in NG savannahs and other open habitats.) Nests in small hollow of tall tree. Range: NG and Aru Is, also records from Gag (NW Is) and Karkar I, 0–2000 m. Also Wallacea, Melanesia, AU.
Fairy Martin Petrochelidon ariel |
(Hirundo ariel)
12 cm. A rare AU migrant to S NG during austral winter. Small swallow with white rump and rufous cap. Tail notched. Adult: Crown bright rufous, back glossy blue-black. Juv: Crown paler with some noticeable black streaking, back dull brownish black. Similar spp: Tree M lacks rufous cap, has rufous forehead patch instead. Pacific Swallow has all-dark upperparts, lacks rufous cap and whitish rump. Voice: Flight call, djrrr, distinct from Tree M. Habits: Similar to Tree M but much less common. Range: NG: sightings from Trans-Fly, S Lowlands, E Ranges, and SE Pen, 0–1500 m. Also AU.