White-marked Forest Honeyeater
Other common names: (Forest) White-eared/(White-eared) Mountain/White-marked Scrub/Black-fronted Honeyeater, (Forest) White-eared/(White-eared) Mountain Meliphaga
Taxonomy: Ptilotis montana Salvadori, 1880, Arfak Mountains, New Guinea.
Nominate race is dark olive-brown, with darker dusky olive top and aires of head and neck, blackish-olive lores, with rest ear-coverts forming fairlz large patch, and creamy-yellow or cream gape that merges with slightly paler and fairlz narrow whitish rectal streak, upperwing dark borownish, coverts with olive-gray fringes, remiges with dull olive-grey outer edges and pale buff inner edges, tail feathers dark brown with dull olive-grey outer edges, grayish-olive or pale grayish below, darke on breast and with indistinct yellowish streaking or tinge on belly.
Not Threatened
Nominate race is dark olive-brown, with darker dusky olive top and aires of head and neck, blackish-olive lores, with rest ear-coverts forming fairlz large patch, and creamy-yellow or cream gape that merges with slightly paler and fairly narrow whitish rectal streak, upperwing dark borownish, coverts with olive-gray fringes, remiges with dull olive-grey outer edges and pale buff inner edges, tail feathers dark brown with dull olive-grey outer edges, grayish-olive or pale grayish below, darke on breast and with indistinct yellowish streaking or tinge on belly, sometimes apparently faint darker mottling on breast, underwing-coverts orangebuff, iris brown to grez, bill blackidh, legs blue-grey. Differs in Montana in darker olive-brown upperparts and crow, much less distinct and duller olive edges and fringes in wing, darker and greyer underparts, distinguished from all other New Ginean congeners by much paler white earspot. Sexes alike in plumage, male slightly larger tham femal. Juvenile is poorly known, like adult has yellowish tinge in ear-patch. Races differ in tone and colour in plumage.
17-18 cm, male 29-34 g, and one female 24 g, two males 32-33g, and ano male 32 g
Taxonomy: Ptilotis montana Salvadori, 1880, Arfak Mountains, 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. mimikae, M. flavirictus, M. albilineata, M. fordiana and M. reticulata. Previously considered conspecific with M. albonotata. Validity of some races, e.g. margaretae, possibly questionable. Birds of this species in Van Rees Mts and Foja Mts of uncertain racial identity.
(source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
margaretae Greenway, 1966 - mountains of Batanta, in West Papuan Is.
montana (Salvadori, 1880) - mountains of Vogelkop, Onin Peninsula and Bomberai Peninsula, and Weyland Mts, in NW New Guinea.
steini Stresemann & Paludan, 1932 - Yapen I, in Geelvink Bay, sepik Rand, 1936 - Van Rees Mts, Foja Mts, North Coastal Range, and N slopes of Central Range from Idenburg R E to Schrader Mts.
germanorum E. J. O. Hartert, 1930 - Cyclops Mts, in N New Guinea.
huonensis Rand, 1936 - Adelbert Mts and Huon Peninsula, in NE New Guinea.
aicora Rand, 1936 - N slopes in SE New Guinea (E to Sibium Mts and Goodenough Bay), also in S at Cape Rodney.
Interior of undisturbed hills and lower montane primary forest, found also in tall secondary forest and occasionally in shruby secondary growth. Mainly between 400-1500 m, 560-930 m in Fakfak Mts. 400-750 m in Kumawa Mts, 800-1400 m in Zapey. Single specimen found near sea-level at Cape Rodney.
Diet includes fruit, seed, and arthropods, probably also nectar, but said rarely, if ever, it visit flowering trees. Forages mainly in middle storey, 3-12 m above ground, less often in understorey, by gleaning and hover-gleaning. Shy difficult to observe. Usually singly. Sometimes in two, ocassionaly joins mixed flocks, but dos not
congregate in flowering trees.
No information, probably sedentary with some local movements.