Visual and vocal mimic of Helmeted Friarbird and is itself mimicked visually and vocally by Streak-headed Honeyeater. Plumage is medium-brown above, paler on head, heavily streaked with black on crown, less on mantle, face and ear-coverts black, streaked whitish contrasting with lighter side of neck and hindcrown, upperwing dark brown, tail dark brown, all except central feathers with indistinct paler tips on inner webs, buff below, chin, throat and chest heavily streaked black, belly les heavily so, iris deep red-brown, bill deep red, red-brown or deep pink, legs grey or dark brown to blackish. Sexes alike. Immature has prominent white supercilium and tawny edges of upperwing-coverts, iris brown, bill black.
Not Threatened
Visual and vocal mimic of Helmeted Friarbird and is itself mimicked visually and vocally by Streak-headed Honeyeater. Plumage is medium-brown above, paler on head, heavily streaked with black on crown, less on mantle, face and ear-coverts black, streaked whitish contrasting with lighter side of neck and hindcrown, upperwing dark brown, tail dark brown, all except central feathers with indistinct paler tips on inner webs, buff below, chin, throat and chest heavily streaked black, belly les heavily so, iris deep red-brown, bill deep red, red-brown or deep pink, legs grey or dark brown to blackish. Sexes alike. Immature has prominent white supercilium and tawny edges of upperwing-coverts, iris brown, bill black.
25-28 cm, 79-115 g
Taxonomy: Mimeta szalayi Madarász, 1901, Finschhafen, Huon Gulf, north-east New Guinea. Forms a superspecies with O. phaeochromus, O. forsteni, O. bouroensis, O. melanotis and O. sagittatus, all of which, together with more distantly related O. flavocinctus, were formerly placed in the alternative genus Mimeta on basis of skull characteristics. Monotypic. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Distribution:
- New Guinea and West Papuan Is (Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, Misool).
Mainly disturbed areas, forest edges and second growth, also lowland and foothill rainforest, monsoon forest, swamp forest, gallery forest and scrub. Lowlands to 1850 m usually below 1200 m.
Fruits, insect, also some grass seeds and probably nectars. Forages alone, in pairs or in small groups, mainly in canopy.
Nest-building reported in Aug-Sept, egg-lying in Apr-May and Sept-Nov, brooding adult in Apr, nestlings in Jan and fledglings in Sept. Rough open cup-nest woven from bark strips and sometimes also bark flakes and other fibres, lined with fine grasses and small stems. Often near colony of Helmeted Friarbirds. Breeding season: September to January Clutch size: 2 to 3 Incubation: 18 days Time in nest: 17 day