Mussau Flycatcher
Myiagra hebetior
Male is entirely glossy black with a slightly erect crest. Female red on the back and pale whitish buff below, with a bicolored head: pale throat and head black to below the eye. On New Britain, female is dusky gray below and on the throat. Prefers primary forest and undisturbed second growth. Song is a series of loud, piercing whistles. Call is a buzzing nasal churr.
Taxonomy
The Mussau flycatcher was originally described in the genus Monarcha. Alternate names include dull flycatcher, dull monarch, Hartert's flycatcher, island flycatcher, lesser shining flycatcher, and little shining flycatcher.<p>The velvet flycatcher (M. eichorni), which is found on New Hanover, New Ireland & New Britain, and the Dyaul flycatcher (M. cervinicolor), which is endemic to Dyaul Island, were both formerly considered subspecies, but were reclassified as distinct species by the IOC in 2021. The three species were formerly grouped together as the velvet flycatcher under the scientific name M. hebetior.
- Scientific name
- Myiagra hebetior
- Authority
- (Hartert, EJO, 1924)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Monarchidae
- Genus
- Myiagra
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Black-headed Tanager
Stilpnia cyanoptera
Small bird of foothill forests. Males have a pale buffy body with black head, wings, and tail; females are much more drab, with a grayish-green head, pale bluish-green back, and yellowish underparts. In good light, both sexes show blue in flight feathers. Found in foothill forests and edge habitats, dry valleys, and in humid forest around the bases of the tepuis. Usually observed at fruiting trees, often in pairs or small family groups, from lower levels into canopy. Calls are indistinct chips and twitters. Plumage pattern of male is distinctive; females are more confusing but are seldom seen without males, facilitating identification; note contrasting gray head and (at close range) blue in wings.
Peruvian Sierra Finch
Phrygilus punensis
Chunky finch-like tanager of high elevations. Males are yellow with a gray head, wings, and tail; females are similar but duller. Found in a variety of dry, open habitats including scrub, agricultural areas, and Polylepis woodlands. Often forages in groups on the ground, and may associate with other sierra-finches and similar species. Distinctive within its range; replaced by the similar Black-hooded Sierra-Finch farther south.
Jungle Prinia
Prinia sylvatica
Dull brown prinia. Largely devoid of eye-catching field marks: gray-brown above and white below with pale eyebrow. Plain Prinia can be very similar, but Jungle averages larger and more thickset, with a heavier bill and weaker eyebrows. Look for this skulker in dry scrubby tangles, often in areas intermixed with boulders. Forages close to the ground. Song is a rollicking, repetitive “ti’li’lew-ti’li’lew-ti’le’lew.” Also gives various chip notes, as well as a loud chatter when agitated.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.