Alternative names: White-necked Picathartes, Yellow-headed Picathartes/ Rockfowl
- Picathartes gymnocephalus
Identification
Large, strange looking passerine with a large, sharp bill, long, fairly broad tail and strong legs. Most of the bare-skinned head is quite remarkable with the yellow skin contrasting sharply with the black 'skull-cap' and upper ear area. Upperparts and tail are a dark slaty grey/ blackish brown contrasting strikingly with the soft white underparts (often washed lemon) extending from the neck and throat to the vent. The bill is black and the legs are a darkish grey. The sexes are alike.
Distribution
Forests of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Ghana.
Taxonomy
The family Picathartidae is a single genus with two species, the White-necked Picathartes Picathartes gymnocephalus and the Grey-necked Picathartes Picathartes oreas Both are confined to the West and Central African rainforest belt, the White-necked, west of the 'Dahomey Gap' in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ghana and the Grey-necked, east of the 'Dahomey Gap' from southern Nigeria through to PRC Congo. There has been much controversy placing this genus systematically as its various placements in crows (Corvidae) , starlings (Sturnidae) , flycatchers (Muscicapidae) and the babblers ( Timaliidae) should illustrate. Its now widely accepted family status is now usually positioned near the thrush-babbler grouping
Habitat
Primary and Secondary Rainforest with rugged granite caves, cliffs and overhanging rocks in relatively isolated areas usually close to water though is tolerant of disturbed habitat.
Behaviour
Primarily a invertebrate hunter of the forest floor, picathartes are also known to take small vertebrates, mainly frogs and lizards but occasionally other birds. Forages singly or in pairs and moves mostly in a bounding hop, even between low vines and searches diligently turning over leaves and rotting debris with its large bill. The birds seem to be fairly inactive during the middle of the day, often returning to the nesting/roosting caves and outcrops before returning to forage in the afternoon. The birds are strong followers of army ant columns and clearly benefit from disturbed prey items. Breeding is associated with the wet season where it nests singly or where suitable nesting sites are limited, colonially with both sexes building a strong cup like structure of roots and wet mud which solidifies and can remain intact for many years. The birds probably stay close to the breeding sites throughout the year and will often roost on old nests.
