Sericonis beccarii
A medium-sized, long-legged scrubwren, most races with distinctive head pattern. Nominate race has dark olive upperparts, browner on crown, wing and tail; forehead and lores black, whitish supraloral spot, small white spot above eye and another below eye; median and greater upperwing-coverts black, tipped white (forming two short broken wingbars); throat whitish, breast and belly washed yellowish, breast indistinctly streaked olive, flanks olive; iris red-brown; bill dark brown or pale flesh-brown, sometimes paler base of lower mandible; legs fleshy brown to pale fleshy pink. Sexes similar. Juvenile undescribed. Races differ mainly in plumage tones and markings, Australian forms with minor sexual dimorphism: randi is similar to nominate, but has greener upperparts, whiter upper throat spotted black, breast and belly yellow, breast streaked with grey, yellowish undertail-coverts; cyclopum resembles previous, but has smaller supraloral and eye spots, ear-covets tinged cinnamon, throat unspotted whitish breast mottled grey; weylandi is similar to previous, but has larger white supraloral and eye spots, more black in lores; wondiwoi Is also similar, but supraloral and eye spots small, lores and cheek cinnamon; idenburgi is darker than last, and wing-coverts have narrow greyish or whitish tips; minimus has breast quite heavily streaked dark (variable, some, perhaps from farther S. have only sparse fine streaks), prominent eye spots (form narrow broken white eyering), sometimes a narrow whitish supercilium, also chin and throat may have fine dusky flecking, sexually dimorphic, male with contrasting black lores, female duller with more poorly marked face pattern; dubius differs from last in having pale facial marking much less distinct ( dull creamy broken eyering and supraloral spot, hint of pale supercilium), lores and ear-coverts rusty brown, wing markings much less distinct (although still obvious), warmer rusty-buff below, merging into pale buffy white on chin and throat, creamy buff on belly, female duller facial markings and deeper tawny-buff underbody (fading to paler on belly), juvenile may be similar to adult perhaps with duller grey to pale brown iris.
Not Threatened
A medium-sized, long-legged scrubwren, most races with distinctive head pattern. Nominate race has dark olive upperparts, browner on crown, wing and tail; forehead and lores black, whitish supraloral spot, small white spot above eye and another below eye; median and greater upperwing-coverts black, tipped white (forming two short broken wingbars); throat whitish, breast and belly washed yellowish, breast indistinctly streaked olive, flanks olive; iris red-brown; bill dark brown or pale flesh-brown, sometimes paler base of lower mandible; legs fleshy brown to pale fleshy pink. Sexes similar. Juvenile undescribed. Races differ mainly in plumage tones and markings, Australian forms with minor sexual dimorphism: randi is similar to nominate, but has greener upperparts, whiter upper throat spotted black, breast and belly yellow, breast streaked with grey, yellowish undertail-coverts; cyclopum resembles previous, but has smaller supraloral and eye spots, ear-covets tinged cinnamon, throat unspotted whitish breast mottled grey; weylandi is similar to previous, but has larger white supraloral and eye spots, more black in lores; wondiwoi Is also similar, but supraloral and eye spots small, lores and cheek cinnamon; idenburgi is darker than last, and wing-coverts have narrow greyish or whitish tips; minimus has breast quite heavily streaked dark (variable, some, perhaps from farther S. have only sparse fine streaks), prominent eye spots (form narrow broken white eyering), sometimes a narrow whitish supercilium, also chin and throat may have fine dusky flecking, sexually dimorphic, male with contrasting black lores, female duller with more poorly marked face pattern; dubius differs from last in having pale facial marking much less distinct ( dull creamy broken eyering and supraloral spot, hint of pale supercilium), lores and ear-coverts rusty brown, wing markings much less distinct (although still obvious), warmer rusty-buff below, merging into pale buffy white on chin and throat, creamy buff on belly, female duller facial markings and deeper tawny-buff underbody (fading to paler on belly), juvenile may be similar to adult perhaps with duller grey to pale brown iris.
11.5 cm. 10 – 11 g
Taxonomy: Sericornis beccarii Salvadori, 1874, Wokan, Aru Islands. Part of a species group that also includes S. nouhuysi, S. virgatus and S. magnirostra. Sometimes treated as conspecific with S. magnirostra, and in NE Australia race dubius apparently intergrades extensively with latter in extreme S of range (Cooktown S to R Bloomfield, in N Queensland); generally, however, differs significantly from it in vocalizations and behaviour, and in plumage of most races. Often treated as conspecific with S. virgatus, and a number of as yet unnamed forms from Bomberai Peninsula (Fakfak Mts, Kumawa Mts) and from E New Guinea (Mt Bosavi/L Kutubu) may belong with either species; in other areas, however, the two seem to behave as separate species, replacing each other altitudinally. Intergrades with S. virgatus known from Mt Bosavi, where specimen from 750 m typical of present species, while from 1520 m one specimen almost typical of S. virgatus and another intermediate between the two (most resembling present species); specimen from 1450 m on nearby Mt Sisa is also intermediate, but closer to S. virgatus. There may be both montane and lowland cryptic species involved. Genetic and vocal studies required in order to help in unravelling relationships in this complex of poorly known taxa. Eight subspecies currently recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * wondiwoi Mayr, 1937 - Wandammen Peninsula (Wondiwoi Mts), in NW New Guinea. * beccarii Salvadori, 1874 - Aru Is. * weylandi Mayr, 1937 - W New Guinea (Weyland Mts). * idenburgi Rand, 1941 - NW New Guinea (Gauttier Mts and slopes above R Idenburg). * cyclopum E. J. O. Hartert, 1930 - Cyclops Mts, in N New Guinea. * randi Mayr, 1937 - S New Guinea (Trans-Fly lowlands). * minimus Gould, 1875 - N Queensland (Cape York Peninsula S to R Watson and R Pascoe-Lockhart River), in extreme NE Australia. * dubius Mayr, 1937 - E Cape York Peninsula, from R Pascoe-Lockhart River S to Princess Charlotte Bay and around coast to R Endeavour (Cooktown-Helenvale region).
Lowland races (nominate, randi, minumus and dubius) ingabi rainforest, riverine and monsoon forest, and vine thickets. Those at higher elevations (wondiwoi, weylandi, indenburgi, cyclopum) occupy hill forest, lower montane forest and secondary growth from 600 m to c. 1520 m. sometimes to 1800 m in W New Guinea.
Food details not recorded but insectivorous, taking wide variety of arthropods. Usually seen in pairs or in small groups (presumed families) if 4 – 6 individuals; joins mixed feeding flocks in New Guinea. Forages in lower and middle levels of forest, vine tangles and thickets; probes at bark and moss on trunks, branches and stems and works up trunks and stems, but also gleans from foliage and twigs; behaviour like that of S. nouhuysi. In Australia, race dubius feeds low down and in middle stage, foraging actively in vine thickets, pandanus (Pandanus) and rattans (Calameae) and from leaves and branches, also from leaf litter on ground, acts more like S. magnirostra but seems more energetic and often more wry than latter; minimus forages on ground, and in vine tangles, pandanus and monsoon-forest thickets at low to middle levels, is altogether very different from S. magnirostra, usually much less confiding and more skulking, and seems behaviourally more like S. frontalis. In New Guinea, co-exists in places with S. arfakianus and S. spilodera, but segregated by foraging height and foraging substrate.
Poorly known; essentially unknown in New Guinea. Following details apply to Australian populations. Breeds in Jul-Oct. Bulky, untidy domed nest with side entrance, constructed from fibres, tendrils and leaves, located in hanging roots or vines near ground, rarely above 1 m. clutch 2 – 3 eggs, pale pinkish-brown, sparse brown speckles mainly around larger end; no information on incubation and nestling periods. Nests parasitized by Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo (Cacomantis castaneiventris) in far N Queensland.