From Opus
Alternative names: Black-headed Pitohui; Lesser Pitohui; Lesser Wood-shrike
- Pitohui dichrous
[edit] Identification
22 - 23cm.
- Black head, chin, throat and upper breast
- Rufous-chestnut uperparts
- Black tail and upperwing
- Bright rufous-chestnut rest of underparts
- Reddish-brown eye
- Dark brown to black bill
Sexes similar.
[edit] Similar species
Similar to some subspecies of Variable Pitohui but note bright rufous plumage.
[edit] Distribution
Endemic to New Guinea. Also on Yapen Island.
Locally fairly common.
[edit] Taxonomy
Monotypic.
However, Clements accepts two subspecies, dichrous and monticola.
[edit] Habitat
Forests and secondary growth. Found at 350 - 1700m, locally up to 2000m.
[edit] Behaviour
Feeds mainly on fruit but takes also some insects and grass seeds.
Breeding recorded from October to February. The nest is a cup made of curly vine tendrils, suspended from slender branches around 2m above the ground. Lays 1 - 2 eggs.
Resident species.
The skin and feathers contain powerful neurotoxic alkaloids of the batrachotoxin group (also secreted by the Colombian poison dart frogs, genus Phyllobates). It is believed that these serve the birds as a chemical defence, either against ectoparasites or against visually guided predators such as snakes, raptors or humans. (Dumbacher, et al., 1992) The birds probably do not produce batrachotoxin themselves. It is most likely that the toxins come from the Choresine genus of beetles, part of the bird's diet. (Dumbacher, et al., 2004)
[edit] References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
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