Nominate race has grey head, white streak from side of forehead to above orbit, occasionally whitish line below orbit, upperparts grey brown, upperwing brown, R edged with dark cinnamon on outer webs, greater and median wing-coverts tipped with buff, tail lighter brown, outer R with paler areas on tips and outer webs, throat whitish-grey, underparts grey with ochraceouswash and faint white streak, iris dark brown, bill black or sooty brown, pale base of lower mandible, legs brownish-grey. Sexes similar, female slightly smaller than male. Immature is similar to but duller than adult, lacks head marking, has white and throat reduced, wing-coverts tipped pale rufous, T edged pale rufous.
Not Threatened
Common to abundant in its very small scale.
Nominate race has grey head, white streak from side of forehead to above orbit, occasionally whitish line below orbit, upperparts grey brown, upperwing brown, R edged with dark cinnamon on outer webs, greater and median wing-coverts tipped with buff, tail lighter brown, outer R with paler areas on tips and outer webs, throat whitish-grey, underparts grey with ochraceouswash and faint white streak, iris dark brown, bill black or sooty brown, pale base of lower mandible, legs brownish-grey. Sexes similar, female slightly smaller than male. Immature is similar to but duller than adult, lacks head marking, has white and throat reduced, wing-coverts tipped pale rufous, T edged pale rufous.
14 cm, 9-10 cm
Taxonomy: Rhipidura drownei drownei Mayr, 1931, Bougainville Island. Forms a superspecies with R. tenebrosa, R. rennelliana, R. verreauxi, R. personata and R. nebulosa. Race ocularis may merit treatment as a separate species. Two subspecies currently recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * drownei Mayr, 1931 - Bougainville I. * ocularis Mayr, 1931 - Guadalcanal, in Solomon Is.
Mountain forest, including mistforest, above 700 m, to least 1600m, adult usually above 900 m. Replaced at lower elevations by R.rufifrons.
Resident.
Forages in forest interior, at all heights. Prey captured by gleaning and FC. May join mixed-species foraging groups.
Nest a small cup bound by spider web, with very small pendent tail, placed 2 m above ground in fork of horizontal branch. No other info. Resident, not globally threatened.