Lesser Ground Robin - BirdForum Opus

Alternative names: Lesser New Guinea Thrush, Rusty Velvet-thrush, Dubious False-thrush

Subspecies A. i. incerta
Photo © by dandsblair
Arfak Mountains, New Guinea, October, 2021

Amalocichla incerta

Identification

14-15 cm (5½-6 in)

• Deep brown to rufous-brown crown and upperparts
• Whitish spot on side of forehead, brown side of head
• Dusky brown wings
• Dusky brown tail
• Whitish chin, throat and side of neck
• Medium rusty brown breast and flanks
• White belly, pale rufous undertail-coverts
• olivascentior with deeper brown upperparts and reduced rufous wash
• brevicauda with reduced white belly

Sexes similar. Juveniles with buffy-brown to rufous spotting.

Distribution

Endemic to the mountains of New Guinea.
Uncommon to rare in its range but also found to be locally common.

Taxonomy

Three subspecies recognized^[1]:

• A. i. incerta in the Arfak Mountains of western New Guinea
• A. i. olivascentior from Wandamman and Weyland to Snow Mountains (western New Guinea)
• A. i. brevicauda in the Mountains of eastern and southeastern New Guinea

Habitat

Found in montane forest.
Occurs mainly at 1200 to 2750 m, locally down to 900 m.

Behaviour

Diet

Feeds on insects.
Forages on the forest floor, making short runs with brief stops to glean. Foraging pattern similar to that of a plover.

Breeding

One nest was recorded in mid-October, another in early January. The nest is an open cup made of moss, grass and fine rootlets. One was placed on the ground close to a moss-covered tree root, the other 1.2 m above the ground in a tree hole. Lays one egg.

Movements

Presumably a sedentary species.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. 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

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Lesser Ground Robin. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Lesser_Ground_Robin

External Links

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