Edolisoma tenuirostre (Jardine, 1831)

Bishop, K. David, 2023, The avifauna of Biak Island, Papua, Indonesia with comments on status, conservation, natural history and taxonomy, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 143 (1), pp. 3-62 : 46-47

COMMON CICADABIRD Edolisoma tenuirostre #

Range E. t. meyerii Biak, Supiori; E. t. numforanum Numfor.

Taxonomy Del Hoyo & Collar (2016) treated Biak and Numfor birds as two species. These authors provided an assessment of the expanded Common (aka Slender-billed) Cicadabird E. tenuirostre species complex but stated the ‘situation is one of riddling complexity which molecular research has only partially resolved (and partially added to). New arrangement outline here attempts a plausible and consistent use of available evidence, but perhaps no more satisfactory.’ Nevertheless, the evidence they assembled for treating meyerii as a full species is compelling, however, until the entire group is thoroughly examined, we follow Beehler & Pratt (2016) in retaining the Biak and Numfor taxa as subspecies of E. tenuirostre .

Status Biak endemic subspecies. Obtained by five collectors but infrequently reported by visitors. Widespread but rather sparse in tall, well-developed secondary and primary forest.

Voice The song is a distinctive series of up to 50 medium-pitched notes, invariably uttered on a near-even pitch. Towards its end the series descends slightly in pitch and decelerates markedly over the last few notes. The quality is slightly nasal, not clear, almost with a buzzy quality (J. Diamond in litt. 1990; Woxvold & Bishop 2020).