Melanocharitidae

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Berrypeckers and longbills
Toxorhamphus poliopterus.jpg
Slaty-headed longbill (Toxorhamphus poliopterus)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Infraorder: Passerida
Family: Melanocharitidae
Sibley & Ahlquist, 1985
Genera

The Melanocharitidae, the berrypeckers and longbills, is a small bird family restricted to the forests of New Guinea. The family contains eleven species in four (sometimes three) genera. They are small songbirds with generally dull plumage but a range of body shapes.

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The identification of the family Melanocharitidae was not known or suspected until the work of Sibley and Ahlquist on the taxonomy of birds using DNA–DNA hybridization The genera had been instead placed with other families. The two genera of berrypecker had been placed inside the flowerpecker family Dicaeidae, and the longbills were once considered to be honeyeaters (which they closely resemble). Sibley and Ahlquist placed the berrypeckers and longbill family close to the painted berrypeckers (Paramythiidae), sunbirds and flowerpeckers, but a 2002 study found them closer to the satinbirds (Cnemophilidae, a recent split from the birds-of-paradise). [1]

It comprises ten species in four genera, the Melanocharis berrypeckers and the longbills in the genera Toxorhamphus and Oedistoma . The two longbill genera are sometimes incorrectly lumped into the same genus, Toxorhamphus, in spite of Oedistoma being erected forty years prior to Toxorhamphus (a violation of the taxonomic principal of priority). [1] There are both molecular and morphological reasons to keep the two genera separate, however. A 1993 study of the longbills, berrypeckers and some other aberrant honeyeaters found that the spectacled longbill was more closely related to the berrypeckers than the two longbills in the genus Toxorhamphus. [2] There are also some morphological differences in the shape of the tarsus. [3] The two species in Oedistoma, however, may not be closely related and more research is needed. [1] The spotted berrypecker is placed in its own genus Rhamphocharis, [4] while some treatments lump it with the Melanocharis berrypeckers it is anatomically and behaviourally distinct. [1]

There is some confusion with the common names, as there are two other berrypecker species in the tiny family Paramythiidae, once considered to be close to the flowerpeckers as well; members of several African genera—notably species in the Old World warbler genus Macrosphenus —are also known as longbills.

Description

The berrypeckers and longbills are small to very small songbirds. They range in length from 15 cm (5.9 in) in the case of the fan-tailed berrypecker to 7.3 cm (2.9 in) in the case of the pygmy longbill, which is the smallest bird in New Guinea. The berrypeckers (Melanocharis) are usually bigger than the Toxorhamphus and Oedistoma longbills. [5] The females of two species, the fan-tailed and streaked berrypecker, are unique amongst songbirds in that they exhibit a reversal in the usual pattern of sexual dimorphism, with the females being both longer and heavier. [6] For example, in the fan-tailed berrypecker the male weighs 12 to 15 g (0.42–0.53 oz), whereas the female weighs 16 to 20 g (0.56–0.71 oz). [1]

They have drab-coloured plumage in greys, browns or black and white. [7] The berrypeckers exhibit some sexual dimorphism in their plumage. The berrypeckers resemble stout short-billed honeyeaters, and the longbills are like drab sunbirds [7] or short-tailed honeyeaters. [5] The calls of the berrypeckers have been described as high pitched and faint, and the song rapid.

Distribution and habitat

The berrypeckers are generally montane species, with only one, the black berrypecker, being found in lowland forest. [8] In contrast the longbills live in lowland forests and low montane forests as well as on small islands around New Guinea. [7] Amongst the berrypeckers there is a succession of species at different altitudes, with the black berrypecker being found in the lowlands, the mid-mountain berrypecker being found at lower altitudes (mid-montane) and the fan-tailed berrypecker being found near the treeline. [7]

Behaviour

Melanocharitidae species are usually seen alone or in pairs. [7] They may associate with mixed-species feeding flocks, but are loose members and not core species. [1] The diet of the family is dominated by berries and small fruits. Arthropods are also gleaned from foliage, and more rarely by hovering and snatching. They are highly active feeders, seldom pausing except when at berries. Most species feed in the lower and middle levels of the forest, although records suggest that the obscure berrypecker will enter the canopy to forage. The male black berrypecker will also enter the canopy, while the female will remain lower down in the forest, suggesting some level of sexual segregation of feeding niches. [1]

The breeding of some species is entirely undescribed, and little is known about the breeding in most species. Records of nests have been made in both wet and dry seasons. [1] They build a cup nest, [5] [7] usually on a forked branch near the edge of a tree, out of fern scales and plant fibres bound neatly with insect or spider silk and ornamented with lichens. [5] Little is known about the division of labour in the family, although the pattern exhibited by the black berrypecker, where the female constructs the nest alone but both sexes feed the young, may be typical of the family. [1] They lay one or two eggs. [7]

Status

The berrypeckers and longbills are not considered to be threatened by human activities. No species is listed as threatened by the IUCN, although one species, the obscure berrypecker, is listed as data deficient. [9] That species is known officially from two collected specimens, but unconfirmed reports suggest that it is not uncommon in remote parts of New Guinea. [10]

Species

The pygmy and spectacled longbills are sometimes included in the genus Toxorhamphus.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Songbird</span> Suborder of birds

A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5,000 or so species found all over the world, in which the vocal organ typically is developed in such a way as to produce a diverse and elaborate bird song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bird-of-paradise</span> Family of birds of the order Passeriformes

The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species are found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and eastern Australia. The family has 45 species in 17 genera. The members of this family are perhaps best known for the plumage of the males of the species, the majority of which are sexually dimorphic. The males of these species tend to have very long, elaborate feathers extending from the beak, wings, tail, or head. For the most part, they are confined to dense rainforest habitats. The diet of all species is dominated by fruit and to a lesser extent arthropods. The birds-of-paradise have a variety of breeding systems, ranging from monogamy to lek-type polygamy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flowerpecker</span> Family of birds

The flowerpeckers are a family, Dicaeidae, of passerine birds. The family comprises two genera, Dicaeum and Prionochilus, with 50 species in total. The family has sometimes been included in an enlarged sunbird family Nectariniidae. The berrypeckers of the family Melanocharitidae and the painted berrypeckers, Paramythiidae, were once lumped into this family as well. The family is distributed through tropical southern Asia and Australasia from India east to the Philippines and south to Australia. The family has a wide range occupying a wide range of environments from sea level to montane habitats. Some species, such as the mistletoebird of Australia, are recorded as being highly nomadic over parts of their range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Painted berrypecker</span> Family of birds

The painted berrypeckers, Paramythiidae, are a very small bird family restricted to the mountain forests of New Guinea. The family comprises three species in two genera: the tit berrypecker in Oreocharis, and the eastern crested berrypecker and western crested berrypecker in Paramythia. These are colourful medium-sized birds which feed on fruit and some insects. These species were formerly included in the Dicaeidae, but DNA–DNA hybridization studies showed these species were related to each other but distinct from the flowerpeckers. Some sources group painted berrypeckers as two genera belonging to the berrypecker family Melanocharitidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passerida</span> Clade of birds

Passerida is, under the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, one of two parvorders contained within the suborder Passeri. While more recent research suggests that its sister parvorder, Corvida, is not a monophyletic grouping, the Passerida as a distinct clade are widely accepted.

The obscure berrypecker is a small passerine bird from the berrypecker family Melanocharitidae. It was described by the German ornithologist Friedrich Finsch based on a specimen collected on the island of New Guinea ; collected in 1867 in the Arfak Mountains. Another specimen was collected in 1933 in the mountains northwest of Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, these two specimens are the only confirmed records of the species. Unconfirmed sight records have been made in regions of New Guinea; these suggest that the species is not rare, and is a resident of disturbed forest, able to cope with human modification of its habitat. All these sightings were all made in the mountains, which is consistent with the range of the rest of the berrypeckers, only the black berrypecker has a lowland range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thick-billed berrypecker</span> Species of bird

The thick-billed berrypecker is a species of bird in the berrypecker and longbill family Melanocharitidae. It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. The spotted berrypecker was formerly considered conspecific, but it was split as a distinct species by the IOC in 2021.

Melanocharis is a genus of birds in the family Melanocharitidae that are endemic to New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-mountain berrypecker</span> Species of bird

The mid-mountain berrypecker or lemon-breasted berrypecker is a species of bird in the family Melanocharitidae. It is found in the New Guinea Highlands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fan-tailed berrypecker</span> Species of bird

The fan-tailed berrypecker is a species of bird in the family Melanocharitidae. It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pygmy longbill</span> Species of bird

The pygmy longbill or pygmy honeyeater is a species of bird in the family Melanocharitidae. It is one of two species in the genus Oedistoma, which also includes the spectacled longbill. It is found in New Guinea and adjacent islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

<i>Oedistoma</i> Genus of birds

Oedistoma is a genus of longbill in the bird family Melanocharitidae. The genus, like the family, is endemic to New Guinea. The genus contains two species, both of which are sometimes placed in the genus Toxorhamphus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spectacled longbill</span> Species of bird

The spectacled longbill, also known as dwarf longbill, plumed longbill or dwarf honeyeater, is a species of bird in the family Melanocharitidae. It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<i>Toxorhamphus</i> Genus of birds

Toxorhamphus is a genus of birds in the family Melanocharitidae. They are commonly known as longbills and were once thought to be in the honeyeater family. The genus is endemic to the islands of New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotted berrypecker</span> Species of bird

The spotted berrypecker is a species of bird in the family Melanocharitidae. It is found in New Guinea. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the thick-billed berrypecker, but was split as a distinct species by the IOC in 2021. The name "spotted berrypecker" references the spotted plumage that the female bird has.

The satin berrypecker(Melanocharis citreola), is a species of passerine bird belonging to the family Melanocharitidae. It is endemic to the montane cloud forests of Western New Guinea and was first identified in the Kumawa Mountains. It is only the second species to be described in New Guinea in the last 80 years and the first endemic species from the region known as the Bird's Neck. The satin berrypecker is the sixth species to be described in the genus Melanocharis.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gregory, Phil (2008). "Family Melanocharitidae (Berrypeckers and Longbills)". In del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Christie, David (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 13, Penduline-tits to Shrikes. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 322–338. ISBN   978-84-96553-45-3.
  2. ↑ Christidis, L; Schodde, R; Robinson, NA (1993). "Affinities of the Aberrant Australo-Papuan Honeyeaters, Toxorhamphus, Oedistoma, Timeliopsis and Epthianura - Protein Evidence". Australian Journal of Zoology. 41 (5): 423–432. doi:10.1071/ZO9930423.
  3. ↑ Boles, Walter (2005). "Fossil honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) from the late Tertiary of Riversleigh, north-western Queensland" (PDF). Emu. 105: 21–26. doi:10.1071/MU03024. S2CID   82659390.
  4. ↑ Salomonsen, F (1960). "Notes on flowerpeckers (Aves, Dicaeidae). 1, The genera Melanocharis, Rhamphocharis, and Prionochilus" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (1990): 28.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Kikkawa, Jiro (2003). "Flowerpeckers" . In Christopher Perrins (ed.). Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds. Firefly Books. pp.  584–585. ISBN   1-55297-777-3.
  6. ↑ Amadon, Dean (1959). "The Significance of Sexual Differences in Size among Birds". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 103 (4): 531–536. JSTOR   985554.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Winkler, David W. "Melanocharitidae". Bird Families of the World. Cornell University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  8. ↑ Beehler, B., Pratt, T. & Zimmerman, D. (1986) Birds of New Guinea Princeton University Press:Princeton, ISBN   0-691-02394-8
  9. ↑ BirdLife International (2008) Species factsheet: Melanocharis arfakiana. Downloaded on 3/7/200
  10. ↑ Gregory, P. & Webster, R. (2004) Papua New Guinea 2004 Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine Field Guide Triplist. Downloaded on 11/9/2006
  11. ↑ "Species Updates – IOC World Bird List" . Retrieved 2021-06-13.
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