Mimic Honeyeater
Other common names: Mimic/Yellow-spotted Meliphaga, Mimetic/Allied/Yellow-spotted(!) Honeyeater
Nominate race is generally brownish-olive above, browner of top of head, with blackish-olive lores and vaguely diffuse streak running through eye to above ear-coverts, pale yellow lower ear-coverts forming fairly large, roughly triangular patch; yellow to orange-yellow gape merges with rather narrow pale yellow rectal streak (which does not extend to meet pale ear-patch); upper wing-coverts and alula dark brown with yellowish-olive outer edges or fringes, remiges dark brown with yellowish-olive outer edges and pale yellowish inner edges; tail feathers dark brown with yellowish-olive outer edges; rather uniformly pale grayish bellow, sometimes light grey-brown wash on side of breast; under wing-coverts pale olive-yellow; iris brown to grey-brown or dark grey; bill black.
Not Threatened
Nominate race is generally brownish-olive above, browner of top of head, with blackish-olive lores and vaguely diffuse streak running through eye to above ear-coverts, pale yellow lower ear-coverts forming fairly large, roughly triangular patch; yellow to orange-yellow gape merges with rather narrow pale yellow rectal streak (which does not extend to meet 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 inner edges; tail feathers dark brown with yellowish-olive outer edges; rather uniformly pale grayish-yellow, sometimes light grey-brown wash on side of breast; underwing-coverts pale olive-yellow; iris brown to grey-brown or dark grey; bill black, possibly sometimes brownish-black (may be juvenile character); legs blue-grey to brownish-grey, dark olive-grey or fleshy grey. Differs from very similar M. gracilis and M. cinereifrons in generally slightly larger size, slightly longer and less slender bill, and less dusky side of head (streak behind eye), from latter also in less buff under wing-coverts. Sexes alike in plumage, male on average slightly larger than female; iris reported as green-brown in one female. Juvenile not properly described, said to be like adult but paler. Race flavida is brighter yellowish-olive above and has more yellow tinge below than nominate.
VOICE: Call notes include shrill or staccato „tup“; short, bright disyllabic or upslurred note and similar but thinner and downward inflected disyllabic call; repeated querulous piping note. Calls much louder than those of M. orientalis.
15.5 -19.5 cm; male 18.5-30 g, female 18 - 24 g (nominate), male 18 - 27.8 g and female 17.8-26 g (flavida)
Taxonomy: Ptilotis analoga Reichenbach, 1852, “Oceanien”; error = Triton Bay, south-east New Guinea.
On basis of molecular evidence, genus consists of two clades; present species is part of group which contains also M. orientalis, M. albonotata, M. vicina, M. gracilis, M. cinereifrons, M. mimikae, M. montana, M. flavirictus, M. albilineata, M. fordiana and M. reticulata. Name stevensi (from N watershed of SE New Guinea) has been used for a race variously of present species or of M. cinereifrons, and it is not certain at present to which (if either) the type specimen applies; recent genetically based investigations indicate that specimens attributed to stevensi include cryptic variants of both species; further study currently in progress. Populations in Baiyer Valley (E New Guinea) probably constitute an as yet unnamed race. Race citreola of M. orientalis originally treated as an altitudinal variant of present species. Birds from N lowlands (Wewak E to Huon Gulf) described as race connectens (from Madang, in Astrolabe Bay) appear indistinguishable from flavida; birds from Fly R district E to Hall Sound proposed as race papuae (Wuroi, on Oriomo R), but inseparable from nominate. Three subspecies currently recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- analoga (Reichenbach, 1852) - West Papuan Is (Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, Misool) and most of mainland New Guinea.
- flavida Stresemann & Paludan, 1932 - Yapen I and Meos Num (in Geelvink Bay), and N New Guinea E, including Kairiru I and Mushu I (off Wewak), to Astrolabe Bay.
- longirostris (Ogilvie-Grant, 1911) - Aru Is.
Primary forest and forest edge, secondary forest, tall secondary growth, scrub and scrub-forest,
riparian and roadside vegetation, in some areas also coffee plantations, gardens and garden trees at forest edge, and tidal mangroves. In lowland Madang Province, seen in swamp island in savanna and grassland in Ramu Valley; in canopy of open woodland in lowland wastern Province, Sea-level to 1250 m, to 1450 m near Telefomin; recorded to 990 m in Eastern Highlands; on Batanta, at 300-460 m on slopes of Mt Besar.
Diet includes arthropods (insects), fruit (including of Symplocos), seeds (probably ingested with fruit), and nectar from flowering trees (including Syzygium). Seen to feed on small caterpillars in a poinciana tree (Delonix). Gleans from branches, twigs and foliage in lower and middle storeys, often in inderstorey at forest edge; sometimes in canopy. Usually signly, in twos (probably often pairs) or in small groups of 5-6 individuals; sometimes with other honeyeaters.
Breeding birds Aug-Dec and (race flavida) Mar-May. Described nest claimed as being of present species considered more likely that of M. albonotata. No other information.