Medium sized flycatcher with black face, rufous breast, grey wings and black-and-white tail. Mlae nominate race has black on forehead across cheek to ear-coverts, chin and throat, crown and most of UpP gra or bluish, flight feather browner, tail mostly black, extensive white itps on outer R, side of throat, neck and breast orange-rufous, becoming white on belly, iris dark, bill dark blue or pearly grey, legs grey to blackish grey. Female is very similar, but duller. Juvenile lacks black on face, has whitish lores and cheek spots, with ear-coverts darker grey than rest of head, white tips on foreahead and throat, UnP duller rusty orange than adult, white in tail duller or more buffish, bill blue-grey or dark grey with dark tip.
Not Threatened
Not globally threatened, common to fairly common at most of range, uncommon in NG.
Medium sized flycatcher with black face, rufous breast, grey wings and black-and-white tail. Mlae nominate race has black on forehead across cheek to ear-coverts, chin and throat, crown and most of UpP gra or bluish, flight feather browner, tail mostly black, extensive white itps on outer R, side of throat, neck and breast orange-rufous, becoming white on belly, iris dark, bill dark blue or pearly grey, legs grey to blackish grey. Female is very similar, but duller. Juvenile lacks black on face, has whitish lores and cheek spots, with ear-coverts darker grey than rest of head, white tips on foreahead and throat, UnP duller rusty orange than adult, white in tail duller or more buffish, bill blue-grey or dark grey with dark tip.
14-16 cm, 9-16 g
Taxonomy: Drymophila trivirgata Temminck, 1826, Timor. Distinctive races diadematus and bimaculatus have been proposed as comprising a separate species. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * bimaculatus G. R. Gray, 1861 - Morotai, Halmahera and Bacan, in N Moluccas. * diadematus Salvadori, 1878 - Bisa I and Obi. * bernsteinii Salvadori, 1878 - Salawati I, in extreme NW New Guinea.
Mostly dense primary foest and secondary tropical and subtropical forest, wooded gulleys and adjacent scrub. Gouldi in sclerophyll forest and occasionally in adjacent eucalypt forest, also mangroves, parks and gardens. From sea level to 300 m in Timor, 800 m in Seram.
Resident.
Food mostly small invertebrates, including ants, termites, beetles, cockroaches, spiders, moths, dipteran and orthopterans, also small snails. Solitary or in pairs, and in mixed-species foraging flocks. Middle strata of ofrst trees. Gleaning in foliage, especially in vines, creepers and behind loose bark.
Season mainly Sept-Feb (May), fledgling seen in Jul and Aug on Sumba. Territorial, male vigorously defends territory against rivals. Contact between partners-fluffing-out of body feather. Nesc cup-shaped, conical and made of fine bark strips, plant fibres, grasses, dry leaves, plant down, moss lichens and gossamer, placed up to 6 m above ground in vertical fork of shrub, tree. Clutch 2 eggs, rarely 3, creamy to pinkish-white, with reddish to dull purple spots or brotches, mean 20.4x14.5 mm (21.3-15.7 mm gouldii). Nest parasite by Shining Bronze Cuckoo and Brush Cuckoo.