Alternative names: Vogelkop Honeyeater; Arfak Melidectes; White-fronted Melidectes; Vogelkop Wattled Honeyeater; White-capped Honeyeater; White-fronted Honeyeater
- Melidectes leucostephes
Identification
26 cm.
- Black-brown to brownish-black head and neck, merging into dark dusky brown with buff mottling on hindneck and with white forehead
- Pale blue-green or pale bluish-white bare skin around eye, broader and rounded behind eye
- White rear supercilium curved over and behind rear edge of orbital patch
- White streak from beneath middle of eye and extending back to meet supercilium at rear of bare patch
- Broad white moustachial stripe
- Swollen pinkish gape
- Long, broad fleshy pinkish-red to orange-red or bright red wattle extending from gape down side of throat
- Dark dusky brown back and scapulars, boldly and broadly scalloped with buff to buff-white, merging to more rufous-brown and unmarked on rump and uppertail-coverts
- Dark brown upperwing and uppertail with yellow-olive edges on remiges and narrow whitish tips on most primaries
- Largely black-brown to brownish-black underparts with broad off-white to buff-white tips at side of breast and on belly
- Large and slender bill pale bluish-white to pale blue or bluish-grey
Sexes similar, females smaller than males. Juvenile not well known, obviously without wattles.
Distribution
Endemic to northwest New Guinea (Indonesia).
Found in the mountains of Vogelkop Peninsula (Arfak Mountains, Tamrau Mountains) and Bomberai Peninsual (Kumawa Mountains, Fakfak Mountains).
A poorly known restricted-range species.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Sometimes treated conspecific with Belford's Melidectes. Forms a superspecies with the latter and Yellow-browed Melidectes and Huon Melidectes.
Habitat
Moist montanes and egde of forest with bordering grassland.
Occurs from 900 to 1800 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Seen probing leaves and flowers.
Forages singly or in twos and threes, from 5 m above the ground to the canopy. No other information.
Breeding
No information.
Movements
Probably a sedentary species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Vogelkop Melidectes. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Vogelkop_Melidectes
