Samoan triller

Samoan triller
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Campephagidae
Genus:	Lalage
Species:	L. sharpei
Binomial name
Lalage sharpei Rothschild, 1900
Geographic range of the Samoan triller

The Samoan triller (Lalage sharpei), known in Samoan as miti tae, is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. ^[2] It is endemic to Samoa. ^[3] Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Description

The Samoan triller is a bird with a length of about 13 cm, smaller than its relative, the Polynesian triller. ^{[2] [4]} There is no sexual dimorphism in Samoan trillers, with both sexes possessing similar plumage, a yellow bill, and white iris. ^{[4] [5]} The upperparts of the plumage range from a brown to a grey-brown. ^[4] The underparts, chest, and throat are white, with faint brown bars present on the bird's flanks. ^{[4] [6]}

The Samoan triller has been observed foraging in the crowns of forest trees, where it feeds on insects collected from leaves and twigs. This insectivorous behavior helps control forest insect populations and reflects its ecological role as an active canopy feeder. Dhondt, A. (1976). Bird observations in Western Samoa.

References

1. BirdLife International (2016). "Lalage sharpei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T22706684A94083741. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22706684A94083741.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
2. Goldin, M. R. (2002). Field Guide to the Sāmoan Archipelago: Fish, Wildlife, and Protected Areas . Honolulu: Bess Press. pp.  230. ISBN   978-1-57306-111-7.
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World - Alive: Samoan triller
4. Dhondt, A. (1976). "Bird observations in Western Samoa" (PDF). Notornis. 23: 29–43. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
5. Mayr, E.; Ripley, S. D. (1941). "Birds collected during the Whitney South Sea expedition. XLIV, Notes on the genus Lalage Boie" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (1116): 1–18.
6. Mayr, E. (1945). Birds of the Southwest Pacific. New York: Macmillan.