Rhamphomantis megarhynchus

General description: 

Adult male dark brown above, head black, dull greyish brown below; eye- ring and iris red, long bill black with drooping tip. Female dark cinnamon above, headf dark grey- brown, breast and belly rufous buff and finely barred, lower breast cinnamon; iris dark brown with narrow cream outer ring. Juvenile cinnamon above, face pale grey and brown, eye- ring dark, iris dark brown. Race sanfordi female said to have breast greyer, contrasting with rufous belly; male undescribed. Voice: Loud, distinct trill, a descending series of evenly spaced notes, lasting 4 sec, and repeated at 5- sec intervals.

Conservation status: 

Not Threatened.

Diagnostic description: 

Adult male dark brown above, head black, dull greyish brown below; eye- ring and iris red, long bill black with drooping tip. Female dark cinnamon above, headf dark grey- brown, breast and belly rufous buff and finely barred, lower breast cinnamon; iris dark brown with narrow cream outer ring. Juvenile cinnamon above, face pale grey and brown, eye- ring dark, iris dark brown. Race sanfordi female said to have breast greyer, contrasting with rufous belly; male undescribed. Voice: Loud, distinct trill, a descending series of evenly spaced notes, lasting 4 sec, and repeated at 5- sec intervals.

Behaviour: 

Size: 

18 cm; 31 g

Phylogeny: 

Taxonomy:

    Cuculus megarhynchus G. R. Gray, 1858, Aru Islands. Race sanfordi known only from one specimen, claimed to be an adult female; in type description, this bird would appear rather similar to juveniles of nominate race; as juvenile and subadult plumages of this species have only very recently begun to be understood, validity of race sanfordi probably requires reassessment. Two subspecies recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Distribution: 

Subspecies and Distribution:

    * megarhynchus (G. R. Gray, 1858) - New Guinea (Vogelkop and interior of N coast E to Kumusi R) and Aru Is. * sanfordi Stresemann & Paludan, 1932 - Waigeo I.
Habitat: 

Tall forests (c. 70 m high) and openings in them; occurs in lowlands.

Trophic strategy: 

Insects, mainly caterpillars, also flying ants. Gleans prey from foliage, branches or bark.

Reproduction: 

Unknown. Female with egg in oviduct ready to lay in Sept

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith