Wattled Ploughbill
Eulacestoma nigropectus
A fairly small, plump bird with a unique bill shape of montane forest. Male is yellow-green with black wing, chest, and two large, pink, fleshy wattles beside the bill. The female is olive-green with paler underparts. Forages low and especially likes climbing bamboo. Uses its strong bill to strip wood and dig into branches. Male plumage is unique, but even with the female’s non-descript plumage, the bill shape should be a give-away. Voice, a single, long, high-pitch note.
Identification
It is approximately 12.5 to 14 cm (4.9–5.5 in) , olive-brown songbird with a strong, thick, wedge-shaped black bill. It weighs 19–22 g (0.67–0.78 oz). The sexes are different. The male has black underparts, an almost golden forehead, black wings with golden scapulars, and a pair of large circular pink wattles on the cheek. The female has olive green plumage and pale olive below. Only the adult male has wattles.
Taxonomy
The wattled ploughbill was formally described in 1894 by the English naturalist Charles Walter De Vis. He introduced a new genus Eulacestoma and coined the binomial name Eulacestoma nigropectus. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek eulaka meaning "ploughshare" with stoma meaning "mouth". The specific epithet is from the Latin niger meaning "black" and pectus meaning "breast".<p>The wattled ploughbill was long thought to be related to the whistlers (Pachycephalidae), and shriketits (formerly Pachycephalidae, now often treated as its own family). In particular the wattled ploughbill and crested shriketit share a similar large bill. Genetic studies have shown that these birds are not closely related, and the wattled ploughbill is instead more closely related to the sittellas. Because of its genetic and morphological uniqueness, in 2014 Richard Schodde and Leslie Christidis placed it in its own monotypic family Eulacestomatidae.<p>The wattled ploughbill is a monotypic species, meaning it has no accepted subspecies. A subspecies clara has been proposed, but it is not reliably distinct from other birds in this species.
- Scientific name
- Eulacestoma nigropectus
- Authority
- De Vis, 1894
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Eulacestomatidae
- Genus
- Eulacestoma
Range and habitat
The wattled ploughbill is distributed and endemic to central mountain ranges of New Guinea.[citation needed]
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The diet consists mainly of insects. The species feeds from the forest floor to up to 10 m (33 ft), from the understory to the mid-level of the forest. It particularly favours groves of bamboo as a micro-habitat for feeding. It forages on branches and twigs, gleaning insects from the surface and prising off bark to expose prey. The species will readily join mixed-species feeding flocks.
Conservation
Widespread throughout its large range, the wattled ploughbill is evaluated as least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Cape Weaver
Ploceus capensis
A large weaver with a long, thin pointed bill. The male has a pale eye, and during the breeding season a brownish wash to the face. The female has a brown eye and an olive-brown belly. The species occupies open country, where it often breeds in mixed-species colonies over water or in large isolated trees. The chattering and rasping song is long and complex. The smaller Southern Brown-throated Weaver has a chunkier bill than Cape Weaver; its male has a better defined brown throat and its female has a white belly. African Golden-Weaver has reddish eyes, and Holub’s Golden-Weaver has an unstreaked yellowish back.
Gray Tinamou
Tinamus tao
Very large chicken-like bird, widespread across the Amazon basin, but nowhere common. Distinguished from other tinamous by entirely gray plumage with fine black barring on the upperparts and some white speckling on the head. Gray Tinamou is also larger than other large species such as Great and White-throated Tinamous. Favors areas of upland forest and is most often encountered by voice, a single, short hollow whistle given at long intervals.
Narrow-billed Tody
Todus angustirostris
A small, gemlike species that prefers higher elevation moist woodlands, but also occurs in coffee plantations. The rather large head, long bill, and short tail create a profile shared only by the Broad-billed Tody within its range. Both species have bright green upperparts and a red throat and sides. Note especially the pale eyes of Narrow-billed Tody, as compared to the dark eyes of Broad-billed. Many Broad-billed also have a buff-yellow wash below, which the Narrow-billed lacks. On birds lacking buff below, the Broad-billed can be identified by its all red lower bill, which is black tipped in the Narrow-billed. Further clues to identification include altitude, with this species occurring above 700 meters elevation and the Broad-billed occurring mostly below 700 meters. The Broad-billed also tends to forage higher within woodlands on more open perches. Vocalizations include a buzzy “chik-zhwik” with second note slightly upslurred and a rapid buzzy chatter at about 14 notes per second; compare this with the quick “weep” or “whip” uttered by the Broad-billed.
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