Colluricincla megarhyncha (Quoy & Gaimard, 1830)

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 : 47

LITTLE SHRIKETHRUSH Colluricincla megarhyncha #

Range C. m. melanorhyncha Biak, Supiori ; C. m. obscura Yapen.

Taxonomy Treated by Beehler & Pratt (2016) and Mayr (1941) as an endemic subspecies of Little Shrikethrush Colluricincla (Myiolestes) megarhyncha . Beehler & Pratt (2016: 386) noted that the Biak bird is ‘a distinctive subspecies because of the rufous wings (hopefully not just a juvenile trait).’ They also noted that ‘Because its song is reputed to be whistler-like, genetic screening may yield some surprises.’ Recent genetic studies reveal deep DNA divergence among the various races of the Colluricincla megarhyncha complex, suggesting several cryptic species, but sampling is still incomplete and instances of introgression and lineage-sorting require resolution ( Deiner et al. 2011). However, the taxon on Biak was not included in the latter study. Shortly thereafter Marki et al. (2018) in a further study of genetics and species limits in Colluricincla recovered C. m. melanorhyncha as sister to Island Whistler Pachycephala phaionota , but as their results were based on an incomplete sequence amplified from a single museum skin, their findings need corroboration. Despite that Boles (2020a,b) listed this taxon as a separate monotypic species, viz Biak Whistler, we prefer to await confirmation of this arrangement.

Status Endemic subspecies ( Fig. 12 ). Widespread and common in tall secondary woodland, selectively logged and primary forest, from sea level to 488 m ( Mayr & Meyer de Schauensee 1939; Supiori).

Figures

Figure 12. Little Shrikethrush Colluricincla megarhyncha, Biak, 5 July 2017 (© Daniel Lopez-Velasco)