Alternative names: Red-vented Whistler; Mottled Whistler
- Rhagologus leucostigma
Identification
15 - 16.5cm. An inconspicuous Whistler with mottled plumage:
- Grey crown and forehead
- White lores
- Dull rufous side of head
- Brownish-olive upperparts
- Brownish-grey tail
- Dull rufous chin
- Yellowish-white breast and flanks, each feather dusky edged or barred
- Bill black
- Obscurus is much greyer overall and plainer. Novus is darker than nominate
Females are heavier marked, juveniles are like females
Distribution
Endemic to New Guinea.
May be fairly common locally but poorly known.
Taxonomy
Three subspecies accepted:
- R. l. leucostigma on Vogelkop in northwest New Guinea
- R. l. novus in Weyland Mountains and Nassau Range in west New Guinea
- R. l. obscurus in the mountains of central and southeast New Guinea
Often placed in genus Pachycephala, however some authorities doubt the placement within the Whistler.
Habitat
Lower montane forest, mainly at 1500 - 2550m.
Behaviour
Has been seen feeding on berries and insects, foraging in lower and middle storey.
Inconspicuous and easily missed.
The nest is a cup of tendrils with some moss, placed 4m above the ground in a tree.
Probably a sedentary species.
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.
- 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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Mottled Berryhunter. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 7 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Mottled_Berryhunter
