Long-billed Honeyeater Melilestes megarhynchus Scientific name definitions

20–23 cm; male 43–49·5 g and female 36·3–47·5 g (nominate), male 47–57 g and female 36–48 g (stresemanni). Drab honeyeater with very long and rather heavy bill strongly decurved over distal third. Nominate race has head and neck grey-brown, fine indistinct blackish streaking on top of head, faint and diffusely darker submoustachial stripe extending onto anterior ear-coverts (sometimes impression of pale orbital ring); chin and throat slightly paler, greyish-brown with yellow-­olive tinge and diffuse paler mottling; upperparts dark brown to dark olive-brown, slightly browner (lacking olive) on wing-coverts, remiges and uppertail; fine and faint buff-olive outer edges on remiges (most obvious on secondaries); breast, belly and anterior flanks as chin and throat, light greyish-brown with yellow-olive tinge (sometimes diffuse paler mottling on breast), merging to dull olive-brown rear flanks, vent and undertail-coverts; underwing brownish-grey, dirty orange-buff to buff lining and bases of remiges; undertail dark brownish-grey; iris bright orange to bright orange-red; bill black-brown to black, sometimes paler cutting edge on lower mandible; legs slaty blue-grey to black, soles yellow. Sexes alike in plumage, male larger than female; female possibly slightly paler than males, but confirmation needed. Juvenile is very different from adult, with much shorter, almost straight bill, which is also browner, conspicuous bright yellow eyering and yellowish gape, plumage dull olive-brown above, top and side of head diffusely barred or mottled darker, browner tail and wing with olive-brown outer edges of feathers (concealed rich buff inner edges of remiges), brown-streaked yellowish-buff below (streaking heaviest on breast and belly), rich buff underwing-coverts, legs horn to dark grey, iris probably dark (as immature). Race stresemanni has greyer, less olive, underbody and darker and browner upperparts than nominate; vagans differs from previous in cleaner grey and slightly more heavily streaked chin and throat, darker underbody, thicker bill (bill thicker also than that of nominate), possibly also has small area of bare skin around eye (confirmation needed).

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Dense vegetation in primary rainforest (but not monsoon forest), forest edge, tall riparian forest (around L Kutubu) and secondary growth, and other disturbed habitats, including 25-year-old and thinned plantation of Araucaria cunninghamii; occasionally in towns and gardens (including records of nesting). In Eastern Highlands, mainly in forest and secondary growth. Lowlands to lower mountains, from sea-level mainly to 1500 m, rarely to 2120 m; more common at lower altitudes. At Karimui, females predominate at lower altitudes, males at higher elevations.

Resident.

Small arthropods (insects and spiders), small lizards (Scincidae), nectar, occasionally fruit (usually small, including raspberries); nestlings seen to be fed with small lizards. Forages at all heights, mainly in lower and middle storeys (to c. 10–15 m above ground), less often in canopy (to 35 m), in outer foliage at forest edge, or in secondary growth; males may spend less time in lower levels of vegetation. Of 65 observations in lowland rainforest at Brown R, 86% in understorey to 8 m above ground (49% 0–1 m above ground, 26% 1–2 m), rest in subcanopy at 8–25 m (8%), lower canopy at 25–30 m (5%) and upper canopy at 30–35 m (1%). Seen to forage on ground on flowers of the root parasite Mitrastemma yamamotoi. Gleans from foliage, bark, vines and rotten wood, and probes crevices in bark and curled leaves; often works its way up tree trunks in manner of Australasian treecreeper (Climacteridae), gleaning and probing close to trunk and branches, and seen to slide bill beneath bark when searching for food; sometimes hangs upside-down to forage on foliage. At Brown R (88 observations of 21 birds), all foraging by gleaning, 14% on trunks, 11% on branches, 19% on foliage, 5% on fruit, 32% on nectar, and 19% on rotten wood. As well as eating small fruits, probes and extracts pulp from holes made in larger fruits by parrots (Psittacidae); at Crater Mt seen to probe pulp of opened figs of Ficus dammaropsis. Infrequent visitor to canopy flowers, though forages at flowers on trunks more often. At Crater Mt, foraged at flowers of Schefflera, Fagraea, Sloanea, Mucuna, Decaisnina holhungii, Hibiscus, Musa and Syzygium; elsewhere, seen to take nectar from large pink or red flowers at middle to canopy levels, from small canopy flowers of Rhus taitensis, and flowers of Hornstedtia ginger close to ground. When feeding at flowers, base of bill and forehead can become dusted or caked with pollen. Shy, inconspicuous; rather slow-moving or leisurely when foraging. Usually seen singly, less often in twos (at least sometimes pairs); pairs thought to be territorial, with much fighting noticed. At Baiyer R, occasionally foraged with other honeyeaters.

Usual call a repeated whistled trisyllabic “whit whit whit” or “whit tt whit” (similar to a call of Xanthotis flaviventer); other calls include explosive “tick” in flight, and downslurred nasal mewing “chur-r-r” or metallic and plaintive “nyahnn” or “nnrh!”; single “eeez” as flight contact call, only infrequently heard.

Season appears bimodal, from middle dry season to early wet season and, again, towards end of wet season (no breeding at height of wet season); at Baiyer River Sanctuary, one pair raised two broods between Oct and mid-Jan (first clutch laid 13th Oct, second 17th Dec), and had another clutch when observations recommenced in following early May; breeding recorded in S New Guinea in Jun–Dec and in Apr; adult feeding juvenile in mid-Sept at Crater Mt. Nest a fairly large, deep and thick-walled cup, exterior mainly of green moss and rootlets, at least sometimes with dead leaves and debris at base, interior of thin vines, vine tendrils and possibly rootlets, often lined with pinnules from large ferns, external diameter 19 cm, depth 11–14 cm; internal diameter 7–10 cm, depth 5·5–7 cm; one nest supported 1·2 m above ground between trunk and multiple leaf bases of a Pandanus, another 2 m up in dead foliage in sapling at forest edge, and at Baiyer River Sanctuary nest c. 2·5 m up in roofing material on underside of thatched roof in well-used building; site may be reused for subsequent nestings. Clutch 2 eggs; at two Baiyer R nests, incubation period 16 days and 18–19 days and nestling period 15 days and 14–15 days (nestling period at third nest 17 days). Longevity in ringing studies up to at least 7 years 3 months.

Not globally threatened. Generally common, although lack of conspicuousness gives impression of rarity; considered abundant at Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area; common to uncommon at Baiyer R, and fairly common at Karimui. Estimated density in lowland rainforest at Brown R 1·8 birds/ha.