Alternative name: Brown Honeyeater (not to be confused with Lichmera indistincta), New Guinea Brown Honeyeater, New Guinea Honeyeater, Nondescript Honeyeater, Olive-brown Honeyeater
- Pycnopygius ixoides
Identification
18 cm, 7 inches, male 28–33 g female 22–31 g
- Small head
- Grey black or brown black, lightly decurved beak
- Crown and neck dark green grey
- Forehead and forecrown fine dark streaks
- Hindcrown to neck streaking is thicker and heavier
- Weak white supercilium behind eye to to nape
- Lores grey with fine black speckles
- Iris light brown to rufous
- Grey chin and throat
- Upperbody dull geen brown with diffuse speckles or streaks
- Mantle and back
- Thin yellowish brown tips on lesser and median secondary coverts
- Thin yellowish brown edging on greater coverts
- Thin greeny yellowish brown edging to remiges forming pale panel on folded wing
- Matt pale reddish brown underwing with trailing edge and tip dark grey
- Weak dark streaking on upper breast
- Grey underparts
- Uppertail and upperwing dark green brown
- Lighter green edges to rectrices
- Dark grey undertail
- Light grey legs
- Sexes alike, but male larger than female
- Juvenile undescribed, immature thought to be like adult and therefore inseparable in field
Distribution
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 6 subspecies:[1]
- P. i. ixoides
- Northwest New Guinea (east to Geelvink Bay)
- P. i. simplex: Very similar to nominate
- Northern New Guinea (Mamberamo River to middle Sepik River)
- P. i. proximus: 26–34 g darker green brown upperparts
- Northern New Guinea (middle Sepik River to Astrolabe Bay)
- P. i. unicus: More dark green tone to crown and neck, edges to retrices and remiges more yellowish brown
- Northeast New Guinea
- P. i. cinereifrons: Greyer crown, chin and throat rich yellowish brown blending into a more greyish brown breast, upperparts less greenish brown, underwing darker reddish to yellowish brown
- Southern New Guinea (Mimika River to upper Fly River)
- P. i. finschi: Bright yellowish to reddish brown underparts and darker reddish brown upperparts
- Northern coast of southeast New Guinea (Kumusi River to Milne Bay)
Some authorities[3] don't accept P. i. simplex as a valid subspecies and lump it with P. i. proximus as they consider it inseparable
Habitat
Hill forest, forest edge and tall secondary growth up to about 1200 m and locally to 1400 m at Mengino, in the Eastern Highlands, normally in older secondary growth. At Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area and at the Brown River it is seen along the sides of the road.
Behaviour
Diet
Small fruits, manly Pipturus, which it swallows whole and nectar, and probably small arthropods, but mainly frugivorous. This unassuming, quiet bird moves slowly either singly or in pairs, but sometimes in parties up to 12 on flowering sago, feeding close together. Usually found in the lower canopy and at lower levels. It also forages in the upper canopy.
Breeding
No data available
Vocalisation
Usually silent. Calls include “petrt” or “peetrt”, similar to Marbled Honeyeater also clear “chi-chup”, and an echoing “tup”. Song is a short, loud and musical.
Movement
Considered resident throughout range.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Plain Honeyeater. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Plain_Honeyeater