Ptiloprora perstriata
Nominate race has head and neck brown-brown, irregular light grey streaking on top of head, hindneck and side of neck, merging to dense fine pale grey streaking and speckling on side of head, upperbody black brown to almost black, irregular light grey streaking on mantle merging to more olive-grey to pale olive-brown streaking on back and scapulars, upperwing and uppertail dark brown, slightly browner than upperparts, median coverts and outer edges of greater coverts with rufous-brosn tips, and rufous-brown basal outer edges on all except outer 2-3 primaries, chin brown to dark brown, faintly mottled light grey, merging to light grey and diffusely brown-streaked on throat, underbody black0brown to dark-brown or dark reddish-brown, heavily but irregularly streaked with light grey to off-white, and overlaid with strong rufous-brown wash on flanks, underwing off-white to buff, mottles brown on coverts, with dark brownish-grey trailing edge and tips, iris green to pale green or greyish-green, bill black, legs blue-grey or leaden. Sexes alike in plumage, male larger than female. Juvenile is apparently largely dark brown to dark olive-brown and appearing unstreaked above, heavily brown-streaked yellowish-olive below, lacking conspicuous rufous on flanks, with greyer chin and throat, also soft pale gape, brown iris, and greyish-brown legs.
Not Threatened
Nominate race has head and neck brown-brown, irregular light grey streaking on top of head, hindneck and side of neck, merging to dense fine pale grey streaking and speckling on side of head, upperbody black brown to almost black, irregular light grey streaking on mantle merging to more olive-grey to pale olive-brown streaking on back and scapulars, upperwing and uppertail dark brown, slightly browner than upperparts, median coverts and outer edges of greater coverts with rufous-brosn tips, and rufous-brown basal outer edges on all except outer 2-3 primaries, chin brown to dark brown, faintly mottled light grey, merging to light grey and diffusely brown-streaked on throat, underbody black0brown to dark-brown or dark reddish-brown, heavily but irregularly streaked with light grey to off-white, and overlaid with strong rufous-brown wash on flanks, underwing off-white to buff, mottles brown on coverts, with dark brownish-grey trailing edge and tips, iris green to pale green or greyish-green, bill black, legs blue-grey or leaden. Sexes alike in plumage, male larger than female. Juvenile is apparently largely dark brown to dark olive-brown and appearing unstreaked above, heavily brown-streaked yellowish-olive below, lacking conspicuous rufous on flanks, with greyer chin and throat, also soft pale gape, brown iris, and greyish-brown legs.
19.5 cm, male 23.5-30 g and female 21-25.5 g (nominate), three males 29.5-32 g and one female 26 g (proedicta).
Taxonomy: Ptilotis perstriata De Vis, 1898, Wharton Range, south-east New Guinea. Formerly considered conspecific with P. erythropleura, P. mayri and P. guisei, but the four differ in size, plumage (crown colour, dorsal coloration, colour of wing-covert edgings, distinctness of ventral spotting, flank colour) and iris colour. Present species has sometimes been thought conspecific with P. guisei, but the two occur sympatrically (with mutually exclusive altitudinal ranges) over at least 560 km in E New Guinea. Sympatric (and with broad altitudinal overlap) also with P. erythropleura over distance of at least 400 km in W New Guinea. Proposed race lorentzi (described from Hellwig Mts, in Oranje Range) considered inseparable from nominate. Birds from Wissel Lakes area (between Weyland Mts and Snow Mts) described as race incerta, but validity uncertain, and thought possibly a hybrid between nominate race and P. erythropleura (of race dammermani); further study needed. Two subspecies currently recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Upper mid-montane primary forest, from open to dense forest and including moss forest, at forest edge, tongues of stunted trees and shrubs extending into alpine grassland, and alpine and subalpine shrubland. From c 1330m to 3750 m an W New Guinea, fairly common above 1500m.
Diet includes arthorpods, fruit and nectar. Forages from understorey shrubs, close to ground up to canopy level, also commonly in shrubs of edge habitats. Takes insect and fruit by gleaning from foliage, twigs, branches and roots, probing moss and epyphites, and occasionally sayllying for flying insect, nectar and probably some insect.
Eggs recorded in early Oct and late Jan, nestling early Jul, later Oct and early Nov, fledglings early Sept and early Nov, and juveniles mid-Aug to mid-Sept, apparently nestling material in early Feb.
