A medium-sized scrubwren with distinctive pale bill, most races with blackish streaking on throat. Nominate race has crown blackish, upperwing and rail browner than mantle; chin and throat whitish, streaked blackish, underparts yellowish-white, breast obscurely streaked grey, flanks dingy pale olive; iris reddish-brown or brown; bill pale pinkish of horn-coloured; legs greyish-brown or light brownish. Sexes alike. Immature is similar to adult but has crown brownish, lacks dark streaks below. Races differ in minor features of plumage: guttatus is similar to nominate, but has greenish crown; wuroi is similar to previous but paler and greener above, with yellowish-green flanks; granti has browner crown and ear-coverts, reduced throat spotting, flanks yellower; ferrugineus has rufous forehead, greyish-rufous ear-coverts, much-reduced grey spotting on throat and much paler yellowish-white underparts; aruensis has rufous-olive crown, paler and buffy forehead and ear-coverts, back bright greenish-olive, throat white without spots, abdomen yellowish.
Not Threatened
A medium-sized scrubwren with distinctive pale bill, most races with blackish streaking on throat. Nominate race has crown blackish, upperwing and rail browner than mantle; chin and throat whitish, streaked blackish, underparts yellowish-white, breast obscurely streaked grey, flanks dingy pale olive; iris reddish-brown or brown; bill pale pinkish of horn-coloured; legs greyish-brown or light brownish. Sexes alike. Immature is similar to adult but has crown brownish, lacks dark streaks below. Races differ in minor features of plumage: guttatus is similar to nominate, but has greenish crown; wuroi is similar to previous but paler and greener above, with yellowish-green flanks; granti has browner crown and ear-coverts, reduced throat spotting, flanks yellower; ferrugineus has rufous forehead, greyish-rufous ear-coverts, much-reduced grey spotting on throat and much paler yellowish-white underparts; aruensis has rufous-olive crown, paler and buffy forehead and ear-coverts, back bright greenish-olive, throat white without spots, abdomen yellowish.
10 – 12.5 cm
Taxonomy: Entomophila? spilodera G. R. Gray, 1859, Manokwari, north-western New Guinea. Seven subspecies recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * ferrugineus Stresemann & Paludan, 1932 - Waigeo I (N West Papuan Is). * batantae Mayr, 1986 - Batanta I (C West Papuan Is). * spilodera (G. R. Gray, 1859) - mainland NW & N New Guinea E to Astrolabe Bay, and YapenI (in Geelvink Bay). * aruensis Ogilvie-Grant, 1911 - Aru Is. * granti (E. J. O. Hartert, 1930) - W New Guinea (Snow Mts). * wuroi Mayr, 1937 - S New Guinea (locally in Trans-Fly lowlands). * guttatus (Sharpe, 1882) - mountains of E New Guinea (E from Huon Peninsula and Aroa R).
Mainly hill forest at 200 – 1200 m, also in lowland forest n Trans-Fly lowlands and N New Guinea, and locally to c. 1650 m. Replaced at higher elevations by S. nouhuysi, but overlaps with S. arfakianus at some sites; co-exists with similar-sized S. baccarii in W New Guinea and in S (near Oriomo R).
Poorly known. Largely insectivorous. Keeps quiete low in understorey but will ascend to middle level; gleans actively from leaves, twigs and branches; often flicks tail. Sometimes found in mixed-species flocks, including those with Gerygone chrysogaster, Chestnut-bellied Fantail (Rhipidura hyperythra), Spot-winged (Monarcha guttula) and Frilled Monarchs (Arses telescopthalmus), Wallace's Wren (Sipodotus wallacii) and Hooded Pitohui (Pitohui dichrous).
Birds with enlarged gonads in Jul and Aug in E of range (Karimuri), suggesting breeding in dry season there. No other information.