From Opus
Alternative names: Greater Wood-shrike; Greater Pitohui
- Pitohui kirhocephalus
[edit] Identification
23 to 25.5 cm. A species with many different forms. Not all variations are mentioned here:
- Nominate subspecies:
- Grey head
- Dark reddish-brown upperparts
- Fuscous upperwing and tail
- Grey throat
- Ferruginous underparts
- Black bill
- Meridionalis
- Black head
- Black upperwing and tail
- Female with dark-brown head
- Uropygialis
- Black head, throat and upper breast
- Dark reddish-brown underparts
- Black upperwing and tail
- Jobiensis
- Entire plumage ferruginous
- Pale bill
- Cerviniventris
- Pale grey head and upper breast
- Grey upperparts
- Olive-grey upperwings and tail
- Pale ferruginous rest of underparts
Sexes usually alike
[edit] Distribution
Endemic to New Guinea.
Common to very common.
[edit] Taxonomy
Clements accepts 21 subspecies:
- P. k. kirhocephalus on coastal northeast New Guinea
- P. k. salvadorii in northwest New Guinea (Geelvink Bay region)
- P. k. dohertyi in northwest New Guinea (islands and peninsulas of Wandammen area)
- P. k. rubiensis in northwest New Guinea (head of Geelvink Bay)
- P. k. tibialis in northwest New Guinea (western half of Vogelkop Peninsula)
- P. k. stramineipectus in southwest New Guinea (Triton Bay region)
- P. k. decipiens in southwest New Guinea (Onin Peninsula)
- P. k. adiensis on Adi Island (off s coast of Onin Peninsula)
- P. k. carolinae in southwestern New Guinea (Etna Bay region)
- P. k. brunneivertex in western New Guinea (se coast of Geelvink Bay)
- P. k. jobiensis on Kurudu I. and Yapen I.
- P. k. meyeri in coastal northern New Guinea (Mamberamo River to Tami River)
- P. k. senex in northern New Guinea (upper Sepik Valley)
- P. k. brunneicaudus in northern New Guinea (lower Sepik River to upper Ramu River)
- P. k.s nigripectus in south New Guinea
- P. k. meridionalis in southeast New Guinea (Chads Bay to Yule I.)
- P. k. brunneiceps in south New Guinea (Fly River to Gulf of Papua)
- P. k. aruensis on Aru Islands
- P. k. uropygialis on Salawati and Misool islands
- P. k. pallidus on Sagewin and Batanta islands
- P. k. cervineiventris on Waigeo and Gemien islands
[edit] Habitat
Moist lowland forests. Found up to 1100m, locally to 1500m.
[edit] Behaviour
The diet includes insects and berries.
Often hiding in dense vegetation.
Breeding recorded in June and July. No other information.
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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