Meyer's Friarbird
Other common names: Dwarf Friarbird
Taxonomy: Philemon meyeri Salvadori, 1878, Rubi, Geelvink Bay, north-west New Guinea.
Monotypic.
Small rather grab and nondescript friarbird with proportionately long, moderately heavy and slightly decurved bill lacking proturberance at base, and with little bare skin on head. Plumage is uniformely dark grey-brown to dusky brown above, faintly and diffusely streaked blackish-brown, and paler grey-brown below, with small area of bluish black to blackish bare skin over lores and narrowly around eye, plumage becomes much browner with wear and fading, iris dark brown, bill black, legs slate-grey.
Small rather grab and nondescript friarbird with proportionately long, moderately heavy and slightly decurved bill lacking proturberance at base, and with little bare skin on head. Plumage is uniformely dark grey-brown to dusky brown above, faintly and diffusely streaked blackish-brown, and paler grey-brown below, with small area of bluish black to blackish bare skin over lores and narrowly around eye, plumage becomes much browner with wear and fading, iris dark brown, bill black, legs slate-grey. Sexes alike. Juvenile is similar to adult, but back to uppertail-coverts finely scaled or spotted off-white, outer secondaries and inner primaries finely edged yellow-olive, rectrices also finely edged yellow-green, throat washed bright browse-yellow, upper breast diffusely barred dark brown and bronzy yellow, immature like adult, but with brownie-yellow wash across upper breast."
At times calls loudly for long periods from exposed perch high in tree. Advertising call is a short but loud, high-pitched and downslurred whistled "tiew: teeuw or weeeeu, repeated several to many times at intervals of 2-3 seconds or longer and often given in middle of day. Song a jumbled series of 12 or more notes altering in pitch “peet o wee”or “wee to wee to wee to...”delivered at rate of 5 notes per second, similar to call of Xanthotis flavigaster.
22 cm, male 53-58 g, female 46-54 g
Widespread in New Guinea from Bomberai Peninsula (Fakfak Mts and Kumawa Mts), and E from head of Geelvink Bay and, in S, E from Fly R.
Rainforest, forest edge, swamp forest, tall and dense secondary growth and other disturbed areas, such as sides of roads and tracks. In examination of vegetation succession resulting from sladh-and-burn agriculture in lowlands. Lowlands to c 1200m.
Fruit, nectar and insect. Mainly in uppers canopy, at times descending to upper levels of middle stage of lower in dense secondary growth. Forages mainly in dense outer or upper foliage of crowns of trees, but sometimes in leafless trees. Often in flowering trees.
One clutch of 2 eggs. No other info.