Mottl-breasted Honeyeater
Other common names: (Greater/Large) Spot-breasted/Mottlebreasted Meliphaga, Large Spot-breasted/Greater Spotbreasted/ Mottle-breasted Honeyeater, Large Meliphaga
Not Threatened
Nominate race has top and side of head and neck and upperparts dark greyish-olive to brownish-olive, with grey tinge on forehead; blackish-olive lores, pale olive eyering, yellow lower ear-coverts (forming fairly large patch), and yellow to dull orange gape that meets fairly narroy and contrastingly paler yellw rictal streak (not extending to pale ear-patch); upperwing-coverts and alula dark brown with dark olive –green outer edges and olive-buff or pale buff inner edges; tail feath-ers dark brown with yellow-olive outer edges; olive grey below, pale yellowish tinge or faint streaking on belly, and with darker brownish mottling on chin to upper belly; underwing-coverts olive-ochre to olive-yellow; iris brown or brownishgrey; bill blackish; legs grey. Diffes from M. orientalis in larger size, more robust bill and finer rictal streak; from M. montana in yellow (not white) ear-patch and pale yellow (not white) rictal streak. Sexes alike in plumage, male on average larger than female. Juvenile undescribed. Race granti is larger than nominate, has greener upperparts, greyer forehead, more prominent mottling on underparts; bestille is similar in size to nominate but darker, and with more prominent mottling below.
VOICE: Loud, short “tuck” or “chip” or “chup” note, similar to those of congeners; race granti (and possibly other races) utters repeated nasal piping, likened to call of Eurasian Bullfinch.
16.5-17 cm; male 24-32.5 g, female 22-29 g (bastille)
Taxonomy: Ptilotis mimikae Ogilvie-Grant, 1911, Mimika River, south New Guinea.
On basis of molecular evidence, genus consists of two clades; present species is part of group which contains also M. orientalis, M. analoga, M. albonotata, M. vicina, M. gracilis, M. cinereifrons, M. montana, M. flavirictus, M.
albilineata, M. fordiana and M. reticulata. Proposed race rara, described from single specimen among a collection of M. analoga flavida from lowlands of Idenburg R (upper Mamberamo Basin, in N New Guinea), considered of doubtful validity. Three subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- mimikae (Ogilvie-Grant, 1911) - S slopes of Central Range and lowlands of SW & SC New Guinea from at least Mimika R and Snow Mts E (including along rivers Kapare, Wataikwa, Iwaka, Setekwa, Utakwa and Noord) to upper Fly R.
- bastille Diamond, 1967 - S slopes of Eastern Highlands.
- granti Rand, 1936 - S slopes of mountains of SE New Guinea from upper Angabunga R E at least to Sogeri Plateau, and in Hydrographer Range on N watershed.
Forest, mainly in foothills and lower montane slopes, c. 150 m to 1150 m, locally down to sea-level and as high as 1800 m. Nominate race recorded from sea-lovel to 900 m, mainly in hills; bastille at 400-1370 m; granti
above 750 m, to 1800 m.
Diet includes fruit, arthropods (mainly insects) and almost certainly nectar. Forages mainly in shrubby understorey and lower middle storey, also among inflorescences of canopy epiphyte Schefflera and Piper; sometimes on ground. Difficult to observe but not shy; typically very active. Singly or in twos (probably pairs); seen to forage in large flowerign tree with other honeyeaters and sunbirds.
Details from two nests in Crater Mt, in mid-Mar and late Apr. Nest a slightly oval open cup made of fine plant fibres, twigs and vines, thickly covered externally with live moss and fern, thickly lined with loose, shredded and fluffy plant down (partly covered eggs when adult off nest), external diameter 7.5-9 cm, depth 7.5 cm, internal diameter 4.5-5 cm, depth 4.5 cm, placed 1.7 m and 2 m above ground in horizontal fork of branch of understorey tree. Each nest contained 2 eggs. No other information.