Melidectes princeps
Long-bearded Honeyeater
Other common names: Long-bearded Melidectes
Taxonomy: Melidectes princeps Mayr and Gilliard, 1951, Mount Wilhelm, Bismarck Range, east New Guinea.
Vulnerable
Head, neck and upperparts are black-brown, slightly darker on top and side of head, slightly warmer dark olive-brown on rump and uppertail-coverts, and with sparsely feathered small patch of bare skin behind eye is orange, with some yellow and pale greenish, uppertail narrowly tipped brownish-grey on outer edges, and remiges finely edged olive-grey, chin and throat covered with long tufted off-white feathers, longest on chin and along side of throat, later forming long “beard” that reaches almost to angle of folded wing, underbody dark olive-brown, varying scalloped with grey-brown, most noticeably on breast and lower belly, with some light rufous brown mottling or scalloping on undertail coverts, undertail dark brown-olive, underwing dark olive-brown, some faint rufous-brown mottling on coverts, and silverly brownish-grey panel across bases of remiges, iris dark brown to dark reddish-brown, bill black, legs pale grey to pale blue-grey. Juvenile is not fully described. Immature or possibly juvenile said to be sooty black above and washed buff below, especially on belly, with bear dull yellowish-white.
26.5-28.8 cm, one female 42 g
Study of relationships within genus needed. Forms a superspecies with M. nouhuysi, and both species, together with M. fuscus, are sometimes placed in a separate genus, Melionyx; these three, along with M. whitemanensis, comprise a group of medium-sized species that differ from others in genus in size, morphology, plumage and voice. Monotypic.
(source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Mt Giluwe, Mt Hagen, Kubor Range (including Mt Kubor, Mt Kinkain and Mt Orata, and Minj-Nona Divide),* Bismarck Range (Mt Wilhelm), Mt Michael and Kratke Ranges, in east-central New Guinea.
Very vocal in the mornings, feeding on fruits in canopy and shrubs alone.
High mountain moss forest and woodland, and clumps of shrubs and scrubby forest thickest in alpine grassland, above and below tree-line, Mainly 3000-3800 m, but recently recorded to 4200 m amd extends as low as 2750 m. On mount Wilhelm mainly above 3050 m, according to Hoyo 1992-2011. In 2010/2011 observed and mist-netted in quite big abundance at tree line 3700 m asl. at Mt Wilhelm. (K.Tvardikova)
Fruits and insect (spiders) taken (Tvardikova unpublished observation).
Nestling found in late Jul and dependent fledgling mid-Jun. No other info.
Active nest found at Mt Wilhelm in May and June (Tvardikova)
