Hylocitreidae Hylocitrea
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Introduction
New molecular data have revealed that this somewhat nondescript “whistler” of Sulawesi is actually closer to the waxwings. Perhaps its true affinities should have been suspected earlier, for its song is a series of high-pitched buzzy notes, not the rich whistles of its namesake, and its relatively delicate bill with a terminal hook contrasts with the stouter bills of whistlers as well. In any event, learning more about this montane-forest dweller is a high priority, as not even its nest has yet been described.
Habitat
The Olive-flanked Whistler Hylocitrea bonensis lives in montane forest between 1200 and 3500 m, and mainly above 2000 m.
Diet and Foraging
Hylocitrea feeds on berries and insects, but no details are known.
Breeding
Nothing is known of the breeding biology of the Olive-flanked Whistler.
Conservation Status
The Olive-flanked Whistler lives in relatively remote montane forests of Sulawesi and is not facing any current conservation concern.
Systematics History
As its common name suggests, this species previously had been placed in Pachycephalidae, but it had also been placed at times with Corvidae and Muscicapidae (Spellman et al. 2008). Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have found Hylocitreidae to belong in the Passerida radiation, rather than with the corvoids (Jønsson et al. 2008b). Within Passerida, Hylocitrea has been found to be part of Bombycilloidea (Spellman et al. 2008, Alström et al. 2014). Within this clade, it appears Hylocitreidae may be sister to Hypocoliidae. Outside this weakly supported relationship, Hylocitrea, perhaps with Hypocolius, appears to be sister to a clade made up of Bombycillidae and Ptiliogonatidae (Spellman et al. 2008). The official description of this family by Fjeldså and colleagues, with further support for a sister relationship with Hypocolius, appears in Winkler et al. (1).
Conservation Status
Least Concern |
0%
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Near Threatened |
0%
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Vulnerable |
0%
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Endangered |
0%
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Critically Endangered |
0%
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Extinct in the Wild |
0%
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Extinct |
0%
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Not Evaluated |
0%
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Data Deficient |
0%
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Unknown |
100%
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Data provided by IUCN (2023) Red List. More information