Hill-forest Honeyeater
Other common names: Mountain Honeyeater, Mountain Yellow-eared/Small Spotted Honeyeater, Hill-forest/Mountain (Yellow-eared) Meliphaga, Lesser/Small Spot-breasted Honeyeater/Meliphaga
Taxonomy: Ptilotis flavirictus orientalis A. B. Meyer, 1894, southeast New Guinea.
Nominate race is dark greyish-olive above, forehead darker olive, dusky blackish-olive lores continued as dusky stripe behind eye, yellow lower ear-coverts forming small rounded patch, and orange-yellow gape merging with narrow and indistinct pale yellow rictal streak (not meeting pale ear-patch).
Not Threatened
Nominate race is dark greyish-olive above, forehead darker olive, dusky blackish-olive lores continued as dusky stripe behind eye, yellow lower ear-coverts forming small rounded patch, and orange-yellow gape merging with narrow and indistinct pale yellow rictal streak (not meeting pale ear-patch); upperwing-coverts and alula dark brown with yellowish-olive outer edges or fringes; remiges dark brown with yellowish-olive outer edges and pale-yellowish or buff-yellow inner edges; tail feathers dark brown with yellowish-olive outer edges; greyish-olive
below, diffuse pale yellow streaking on belly and lower breast, faint dusky mottling on breast and belly; underwingcoverts olive-yellow or buff-yellow; iris brown to grey; bill black; legs leaden or pale bluish. Differs from M. mimikae in smaller size, shorter and more slender bill, smaller ear-patch, narrower rictal streak, richer olive (less brown) upperparts, less uniform underparts (with faint dusky mottling). Sexes alike, male averages larger. Juvenile undescribed. Race facialis has less dusky lores and postocular area than nominate, less distinct mottling bellow; becki greener above than nominate, with more olive lores and postocular area, less distinct yellow streaking on belly, less distinct dusky mottling on underparts, and yellow-white (less buff) underwing-coverts; citreola lacks obvious dusky mottling below, has stronger yellow wash on upperparts, underparts and underwing-coverts.
VOICE: Call notes include bright monosyllabic staccato „tup“ or „tuck“, probably same as call described as nasal „chup“ (more musical than corresponding call of M. analoga); short upwardly inflected disyllabic or upslurres note and similar but thinner and downward-inflected disyllabic call (boht with more snapped quality than similar calls of M analoga); and repeated querulous piping note. Call descrobed as cheerful „cheeyur“ or „weet“ or „weeyurt“ may or may not refer to one of preceding calls. All calls much quieter than in M. analoga.
14-16 cm; 16-20 g, male average 18.6 g and female average 17.6 g (facialis), male 17.5-20 g and female 14.8-20 g (citreola)
Taxonomy: Ptilotis flavirictus orientalis A. B. Meyer, 1894, southeast New Guinea.
On basis of molecular evidence, genus consists of two clades; present species is part of group which contains also M. analoga, M. albonotata, M. vicina, M. gracilis, M. cinereifrons, M. mimikae, M. montana, M. flavirictus, M. albilineata, M. fordiana and M. reticulata. Race citreola originally considered an altitudinal variant of M. analoga. Racial identity of populations of Fakfak Mts, Kumawa Mts, Wandammen Mts and Foja Mts not certain; possibly all belong in facialis, or Foja birds possibly in citreola, or some or all may represent undescribed races. Also, birds of this species recorded in Adelbert Mts of uncertain racial identity, tentatively included in becki. Four subspecies currently recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- facialis Rand, 1936 - mountains of Waigeo (West Papuan Is), and of Vogelkop, Fakfak, Kumawa and Wandammen Mts and Central Range of New Guinea (from Weyland Mts and S slopes of Snow Mts) E to Okapa region of Eastern Highlands.
- citreola Rand, 1941 - N slopes of Snow Mts and C North Coastal Range (Bewani Mts, Torricelli Mts and Prince Alexander Mts).
- becki Rand, 1936 - Adelbert Mts and mountains from Huon Peninsula S to Wau region, in NE New Guinea.
- orientalis (A. B. Meyer, 1894) - mountains of SE New Guinea E from Mambere R and, in S, from at least Angabunga R and including Aseki area (Morobe Province).
Primary forest (including Castanopsis oak forest), forest edge, tall secondary growth, sometimes gardens; mainly in forest interior, rarely in disturbed habitats. Mostly lower and middle mountains, from 550 m to c. 2100 m, and only member of genus common (or present) above 1400 m. Recorded ot 1000-1350 m in Foja Mts, 1000-1400 in Wandammen Mts, 900-1200 m or above in Fakfak Mts, and 800-1450 m in Kumawa Mts; in Eastern Highlands 1110-1890 m, with maximum abundance at 1350-1700 m, and altitudinal range generally above that of congeners; seen at 1000 m in Adelbert Mts (Ilebaguma and Kowat). In lower parts of range co-exists with M. aruensis, M. analoga, M. mimikae, M. flavirictus and either M. albonotata or M. montana.
Diet nectar, arthropods (mainly incest), sometimes fruit. Known to feed at inflorescences of Schfflera. Typically forages in outer foliage of canopy; less often in lower storeys, but appears to use these more at forest edges. Active, agile. Usually singhtly, less often in twos (probably pairs); often feeds with other honeyeaters, at lower altitudes especially with congeners.
One nest described, at Crater Mt in mid-May: tightly made, slightly oval cup of plant fibre, twigs and vines, covered externally with live moss and dead bamboo leaves, lined thickly with fluffy plant down, external diameter 7.5 cm, depth 7.5 cm, internal diameter 5.5 x 4.5 cm, depth 4.5 cm; contained 2 eggs, both of which hatched by 13th May, but nest empty on 19th. No other information.