Ochre-breasted Catbird
Ailuroedus stonii
A large, shy, stocky bird of lowland and foothill forest interior of south eastern New Guinea. A distinct black crown contrasting with white cheek and throat, containing very fine, black dots. A messy, splotched, black collar joins the crown on the back of the neck and gets narrower to the throat. Chest and belly are buffy with small black spots becoming finer towards the belly. Could co-occur with Black-capped Catbird, but Ochre-breasted is smaller, is usually found at lower elevation and has a white cheek. One call is a ringing, high-pitch “chink!”.
Identification
The ochre-breasted catbird (Ailuroedus stonii) is a species of bird in the family Ptilonorhynchidae. It is found in southern New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Until 2016, the ochre-breasted catbird was considered conspecific with the white-eared catbird. Martin Irestedt and colleagues examined the white-eared catbird species complex genetically and found there were three distinct lineages: the white-eared catbird (Ailuroedus buccoides) proper of the Bird's Head (Vogelkop) Peninsula, the ochre-breasted catbird (Ailuroedus stonii) of the southern lowlands of New Guinea, and tan-capped catbird (Ailuroedus geislerorum) of the northern lowlands of New Guinea.
Taxonomy
Genus: Ailuroedus; Family: Ptilonorhynchidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Ailuroedus stonii
- Authority
- Sharpe, 1876
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Ptilonorhynchidae
- Genus
- Ailuroedus
Photos
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