Nominate race has head and neck grey-brown, fine indistinct blackish streaking on top of head faint and diffusely darker submoustachial stripe extending onto enterior ear-coverts, chin and throat slightly paler, grayish-brown with yellow-olive tinge and diffuse paler mottling, upperparts dark brown olive-brown, slightly browner on wing coverts, remiges and uppertail, fine and faint buff-olive outer edges on remiges, breast, belly and anterior flanks as chin and throat, light greyish-brown with yellow-olive tinge, merging to dull olive-brown rear flanks, vent and undertail-coverts, underwing brownish-grey, dirty orange-buff to buff lining and bases of remiges, undertail dark brownish-grey, iris bright orange-red, bill black-brown to black, sometimes paler cutting edge on lower mandible, legs slaty blue-grey to black, soles yellow. Sexes alike in plumage, male larger than female, female possibly slightly paler than males, but confirmation needed. Juvenile is very different from adult, with much shorter, almost straight bill, which is alos browner, conspicuous bright yellow eye ring and yellowish gape, plumage dull olive-brown above, to and side of head diffusely barred or mottled darker, browner tail and waing with olive-brown outer edges of feathers, rich buff underwing-coverts, legs horn to dark grey, iris probably dark.
Not Threatened
Nominate race has head and neck grey-brown, fine indistinct blackish streaking on top of head faint and diffusely darker submoustachial stripe extending onto enterior ear-coverts, chin and throat slightly paler, grayish-brown with yellow-olive tinge and diffuse paler mottling, upperparts dark brown olive-brown, slightly browner on wing coverts, remiges and uppertail, fine and faint buff-olive outer edges on remiges, breast, belly and anterior flanks as chin and throat, light greyish-brown with yellow-olive tinge, merging to dull olive-brown rear flanks, vent and undertail-coverts, underwing brownish-grey, dirty orange-buff to buff lining and bases of remiges, undertail dark brownish-grey, iris bright orange-red, bill black-brown to black, sometimes paler cutting edge on lower mandible, legs slaty blue-grey to black, soles yellow. Sexes alike in plumage, male larger than female, female possibly slightly paler than males, but confirmation needed. Juvenile is very different from adult, with much shorter, almost straight bill, which is alos browner, conspicuous bright yellow eye ring and yellowish gape, plumage dull olive-brown above, to and side of head diffusely barred or mottled darker, browner tail and waing with olive-brown outer edges of feathers, rich buff underwing-coverts, legs horn to dark grey, iris probably dark.
20-23 cm, male 43-49.5 g, and female 36.3-47.5 g (nominate), male 47-57 g and female 36-48 g (stresemanni)
Taxonomy: Ptilotis megarhynchus G. R. Gray, 1858, Aru Islands. Race stresemanni possibly better merged with vagans, as birds on Batanta I appear intermediate between the two. Proposed race brunneus (from Siwi, in Arfak Mts) is synonymized with nominate. Three subspecies currently recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * vagans (Bernstein, 1864) - Waigeo and Batanta, in West Papuan Is. * megarhynchus (G. R. Gray, 1858) - West Papuan Is (Salawati and Misool), NW, S & E New Guinea (Vogelkop E to Weyland Mts and to Astrolabe Bay, Huon Peninsula and Milne Bay); Aru Is. * stresemanni E. J. O. Hartert, 1930 - Yapen I and N New Guinea (Geelvink Bay E to Astrolabe Bay).
Dense vegetation in primary rainforest, forest edges, tall riparian forest and secondary growth, and other disturbed habitats, including 25-zears old and thinned plantations. Occasionally in towns and gardens. In easter Highlands mainly in forest and secondary growth. Lowlands to lower mountains, from sea-level mainly to 1500m, rarely 2120 m. More common at lower altitudes. Females predominate in lower altitudes, males at higher elevations.
Small arthropods, small liyards, nectar, occasionally fruit, nestlings seen to be fed with small liyards. Forages at all hights, mainly in lower and middle storey, less often in canopy.
Season appears bimodal, from middle dry season to early wet season and again, towards end of wet season.