Male nominate race has crown and hindneck light bluish- grey, separated by black stripe from bright yellow forehead, broad supercilium and ear- coverts; upperparts light bluish- grey, upperwing with outer primaries dusky grey, inner primaries and secondaries bluish grey, tertials bluish- grey with black inner webs, each tipped white, wing- coverts bluish- grey; tail bluish- grey, all except central pair of feathers with black subterminal marking on inner webs; throat and underparts bright yellow; iris brown to dark brown; bill black; legs light brown to brown. Female is like male, but ear- coverts with dusky patch, black on forecrown reduced. Immature apparently resembles female. Race subaurantium has underparts darker, with more orange tinge; randi is even more orange below; subpallidum is palest, with most yellow (least orange- tinged) underparts.
Not Threatened
Male nominate race has crown and hindneck light bluish- grey, separated by black stripe from bright yellow forehead, broad supercilium and ear- coverts; upperparts light bluish- grey, upperwing with outer primaries dusky grey, inner primaries and secondaries bluish grey, tertials bluish- grey with black inner webs, each tipped white, wing- coverts bluish- grey; tail bluish- grey, all except central pair of feathers with black subterminal marking on inner webs; throat and underparts bright yellow; iris brown to dark brown; bill black; legs light brown to brown. Female is like male, but ear- coverts with dusky patch, black on forecrown reduced. Immature apparently resembles female. Race subaurantium has underparts darker, with more orange tinge; randi is even more orange below; subpallidum is palest, with most yellow (least orange- tinged) underparts.
13 cm; 14- 19 g
Taxonomy: Pachycephala flavogrisea A. B. Meyer, 1874, Arfak Mountains, New Guinea. Affinities uncertain. Bright yellow underparts and strong voice suggest possible relationship with the whistlers, but other plumage characters, and behaviour, indicate less of a connection; alliance with Australasian robins (Petroicidae) suggested by some authors; nest, however, is unlike those of other members of present family or those of petroicids. Closest relatives perhaps in the family Acanthizidae, some members of which have nest architecture similar to that of present species. Further research required. Racial identification of museum specimens possibly confounded by post-mortem fading of underpart colour; races subpallidum and subaurantium grade into each other in Sepik Mts. Four subspecies recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * flavogriseum ( A. B. Meyer, 1874) - Vogelkop (Arfak Mts, Tamrau Mts) and Wandammen Mts, in W New Guinea. * subaurantium Rothschild & E. J. O. Hartert, 1911 - C New Guinea in Weyland Mts, S slopes of Nassau Mts, Oranje Mts and Victor Emanuel Mts E probably to Mt Karimui. * randi Gilliard, 1961 - R Idenburg, in N New Guinea. * subpallidum E. J. O. Hartert, 1930 - New Guinea E & SE from Torricelli Mts, Sepik Mts, Huon Peninsula (Saruwaged Mts), Herzog Mts and, in S, Eastern Highlands Province (probably from Okasa).
Hill and lower montane forest, also neighbouring secondary growth; often in thicker vegetation, occasionally in more open regrowth. At 400- 1800 m, mainly 800- 1650 m.
Insects and spiders (Araneae). Forages in outer foliage, about equally in lower and middle storeys, occasionally in higher storey. Gleans prey from leaves and twigs. Sometimes joins mixed- species foraging flocks.