Meek honey eater

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Meek honey eater
Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily : Meliphagoidea
Family : Honeyeater (Meliphagidae)
Genre : Ptiloprora
Type : Meek honey eater
Scientific name
Ptiloprora meekiana
( Rothschild & Hartert , 1907)

The meek honey eater ( Ptiloprora meekiana ) is a species of bird in the honey eater family . It comes with the subspecies Ptiloprora meekiana meekiana and P. m. occidentalis in the western, eastern, northeastern and southeastern parts of New Guinea . The type epithet refers to the British bird and insect collector Albert Stewart Meek .

features

The Meekhonigfresser reaches a size of 16 to 17 centimeters. The weight of only three specimens is known, the male holotype weighing 18.5 grams and the weights of two females being 20 and 21 grams. In the nominate form , the top of the head, the sides of the head and neck as well as the top are yellowish-olive with a distinct blackish-olive tinge. The strands are thin on the top of the head and on the back of the neck, otherwise they are wider. They are most striking on the coat and back and give the top a clear stripe. The dotted lines on the sides of the head give the face a mask-like appearance in which the light eyes emerge. The upper wing coverts and the upper tail coverts are black-brown to dark brown. The color is darker at the top. The upper wing coverts, wings and control feathers show narrow yellowish-olive hems. The underside is predominantly light yellowish-olive. The chin and throat are lighter yellow. The belly is yellow. The entire underside has a strong dark olive streak, which is most visible on the throat. On the sides of the chest, yellowish tufts can be seen below the wing angles. The under tail-coverts are dark brown. The under wing-coverts are yellowish with a dark tip and rear edge.

The iris is light gray to greenish gray. The upper bill is black, the lower bill gray. The legs are blue-gray. The sexes look alike; however, the males are larger than the females. Young birds and immature birds have so far been unknown. The subspecies Ptiloprora meekiana occidentalis is on average larger than the nominate form and has a shorter beak. It's brighter everywhere. The top is tinted green and less gray. The rump as well as the wing and tail edges are lighter. The throat is lighter with a darker highlight and the underside is lighter yellow than in the nominate form. The call consists of "cht" or "chp" tones that are repeated frequently.

Occurrence

Ptiloprora meekiana meekiana occurs at the Tari Gap in the Southern Highlands, at the Trauna Gap in the Central Highlands and at Mount Michael in the Eastern Highlands in eastern New Guinea, in the Saruwaged Mountains on the Huon Peninsula in northeastern New Guinea and in the Herzog Mountains in the southeast New Guinea before. The subspecies Ptiloprora meekiana occidentalis , described by Austin Loomer Rand in 1940, is known from the upper slopes of the Snow Mountains and the West Oranje Mountains in western New Guinea.

habitat

The meekhonigfresser lives in mountain forests, especially secondary forests, in middle and higher altitudes. The nominate form was between 1300 m and 2440 m on Mount Michael, the subspecies P. m. occidentalis between 2200 and 2800 m in the Snow Mountains.

Way of life

The meekhoney eater is difficult to spot. The local birds are usually found singly or in pairs, but in the Snow Mountains they can also be found in mixed flocks. The diet consists mainly of arthropods , including medium-sized insects, as well as flower nectar. Foraging usually takes place in the middle or upper layers of the forest. Little is known about the breeding biology of the meekhoney eater. A breeding female was observed in December.

Existence and endangerment

The honey eater is classified by the IUCN as "not endangered" (least concern). Information on the size of the population is not available. It is usually described as infrequent or rare; locally, however, such as on the northern slopes of the Snow Mountains in western New Guinea, it is more common.

literature

  • J. Del Hoyo, A. Elliot, and D. Christie (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 13: Penduline-Tits to Shrikes . Lynx Edicions, 2008. ISBN 9788496553453

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