Aplonis mystacea
Medium-sized starling with rather long, graduated tail: bristly forehead feathers forming partly erectile crest (visible in field), and feathers of crown, nape, throat and upper breast elongated and lanceolate. Plumage is mostly black, glossed purple on head and mantle, glossed emerald-green on rump and wing-coverts, and glossed bronzy green on breast, belly and flanks; flight-feathers dark brown, some gloss on outer webs, tail dark brown and slightly glossy: iris pale yellow; bill and legs black. Sexes alike. Juvenile undescribed.
Near-threatened
Medium-sized starling with rather long, graduated tail: bristly forehead feathers forming partly erectile crest (visible in field), and feathers of crown, nape, throat and upper breast elongated and lanceolate. Plumage is mostly black, glossed purple on head and mantle, glossed emerald-green on rump and wing-coverts, and glossed bronzy green on breast, belly and flanks; flight-feathers dark brown, some gloss on outer webs, tail dark brown and slightly glossy: iris pale yellow; bill and legs black. Sexes alike. Juvenile undescribed.
18 cm
Taxonomy: Calornis mystacea Ogilvie-Grant, 1911, Parimau, Mimika River, New Guinea. Genus name sometimes given as Aplornis. Monotypic. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Distribution:
- Discontinuously in W & SC New Guinea.
Forest, primarily lowland alluvial forest; reported also in hill forest to at least 300 m.
Diet presumably mainly fruit; red berries fed to young. Forages in canopy of lowland-forest trees such as Endospermum moluccanum. Generally in small groups, sometimes in larger flocks of up to c. 100 individuals; often in mixed flocks with A. metallica.
Season apparently not documented. Colonial. One colony known, contained c. 150 nests: nest an untidy, mostly globular structure of strips of vegetation, suspended from or sometimes supported by branch, often in clusters of c. 15 nests, in forest tree c. 30 m tall. No other information.