Sulawesi Myzomela Myzomela chloroptera Scientific name definitions

9–12 cm. Male nominate subspecies is distinctive and striking, with head, neck, breast and mantle to uppertail coverts scarlet-red, forming broad stripe down center of upperparts boldly contrasting with black scapulars, wing and tail, and with narrow black loral stripe extending in thin ring around eye and diffusely for short distance behind eye; neat narrow olive-green edges on remiges; flanks, belly, vent and undertail coverts pale gray-brown to grayish white, varying olive-yellow wash on center of belly; pale flank feathers often show narrowly around angle of folded wing (separating black of wing from red of head and neck); iris dark brown; bill and gape black; legs dark gray. Female drab brown above, more rufous-brown on rump, darker sepia-brown tail and wings, thinly but conspicuously edged yellowish olive on primary coverts and flight-feathers, other wing-coverts edged buff; forehead, lores, frontal part of ear coverts, chin and upper throat flame-red (more orange than in males), merging into light brownish gray on rear ear coverts, neck-sides and lower throat, breast and upper belly; lower belly, vent and undertail coverts whitish buff. Juvenile very similar to female; immature male as adult female but tertials, like wing coverts, broadly edged light buff, not yellowish olive as in adults, scarlet on head, scattered single scarlet feathers also on upperparts to vent, and on breast; immature female undescribed.

Sulawesi Myzomela is often considered conspecific with Bacan Myzomela (Myzomela batjanensis), and together with Wakolo Myzomela (Myzomela wakoloensis) and Banda Myzomela (Myzomela boiei), was also often considered conspecific with Scarlet Myzomela (Myzomela sanguinolenta) (). In their treatment of the taxa, del Hoyo and Collar (1 del Hoyo, J., and N. J. Collar (2016). HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ), using the Tobias et al. (2 Tobias, J. A., N. Seddon, C. N. Spottiswoode, J. D. Pilgrim, L. D. C. Fishpool, and N. J. Collar (2010). Quantitative criteria for species delimitation. Ibis 152(4):724–746. Close ) scoring criteria, from which the numbers in brackets are derived, found that Bacan Myzomela differs from Sulawesi Myzomela in its gray versus red breast [3]; entirely whitish-gray lower underparts and wing fringes with no trace of olive-yellow wash [1]; slightly smaller size [effect size for male bills –1.28; score 1]; and clearly higher-pitched [2] and slightly longer [1] call (although sample size very small).

A population on Obi (3 Thibault, M., Defos du Rau, P., Pineau, O. and Pangimangen, W. (2013). New and interesting records for the Obi archipelago (north Maluku, Indonesia), including field observations and first description of the vocalisation of Moluccan Woodcock Scolopax rochussenii. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 133(2): 83–115. Close ) may belong with present species or with Bacan Myzomela, or may represent a separate species (4 Eaton, J. A., B. van Balen, N. W. Brickle, and F. E. Rheindt (2016). Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ). Birds on Taliabu (Sula Islands) were previously included with nominate chloroptera, but have since been described as a separate species, Taliabu Myzomela (Myzomela wahe) (5 Rheindt, F. E., D. M. Prawiradilaga, H. Ashari, Suparno, C. Y. Gwee, G. W. X. Lee, M. Y. Wu, and N. S. R. Ng (2020). A lost world in Wallacea: Description of a montane archipelagic avifauna. Science 367:167. Close ); a further undescribed population on nearby Peleng Island is currently placed in nominate, but also may merit treatment as an endemic subspecies or (perhaps unlikely) prove to be more closely related to Taliabu Myzomela (4 Eaton, J. A., B. van Balen, N. W. Brickle, and F. E. Rheindt (2016). Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close , 5 Rheindt, F. E., D. M. Prawiradilaga, H. Ashari, Suparno, C. Y. Gwee, G. W. X. Lee, M. Y. Wu, and N. S. R. Ng (2020). A lost world in Wallacea: Description of a montane archipelagic avifauna. Science 367:167. Close ); further study needed.

Four subspecies currently recognized (6 Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood (2023). The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. Close ).

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SUBSPECIES

Myzomela chloroptera chloroptera Scientific name definitions

Systematics History

Myzomela chloroptera Walden, 1872, The Annals and Magazine of Natural History; Zoology, Botany, and Geology 9(4):399. Type locality given as "Celebes" [=Sulawesi] (7 Walden, A. (1872). On some supposed new species of birds from Celebes and the Togian Islands. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Zoology, Botany, and Geology 9(4):398-401 Close ).

Distribution

Mountains of northern and central Sulawesi, Banggai Islands (Peleng) (8 Rheindt, F.E., Verbelen, F., Putra, D.D., Rahman, A. and Indrawan, M. (2010). New biogeographic records in the avifauna of Peleng Island (Sulawesi, Indonesia), with taxonomic notes on some endemic taxa. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 130(3): 181–207. Close ).

Identification Summary

Described in Field Identification.

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SUBSPECIES

Myzomela chloroptera charlottae Scientific name definitions

Systematics History

Myzomela chloroptera charlottae Stresemann, 1932, Ornithologische Monatsberichte 40:45. Type locality listed as Latimodjong Mountains, central Celebes [=Sulawesi] (9 Stresemann, E. (1932). Vorläufiges über die ornithologischen Ergebnisse der Expedition Heinrich 1930-32. VI. zur ornithologie des Lompo Batang (Süd-Celebes). Ornithologische Monatsberichte 40:45-47 Close ).

Distribution

Mountains of central and southeastern Sulawesi

Identification Summary

Subspecies charlottae may be inseparable from nominate, and is often treated as a junior synonym of nominate chloroptera (10 Dickinson, E. C., and L. Christidis, Editors (2014). The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Fourth Edition. Volume 2. Aves Press, Eastbourne, UK. Close , 1 del Hoyo, J., and N. J. Collar (2016). HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ).

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SUBSPECIES

Myzomela chloroptera juga Scientific name definitions

Systematics History

Myzomela chloroptera juga Riley, 1921, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 34:56. Type locality given as "Indrulaman, south Celebes" [=South Sulawesi] (11 Riley, J. H. (1921). Four new birds from Celebes. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 34:55-57 Close ).

Distribution

Southwestern Sulawesi.

Identification Summary

Subspecies juga is slightly larger than nominate, male differs in brownish-black (not black) scapulars, wing and tail, lacks yellowish wash on belly, female also similar to nominate but flame scarlet on forehead more extensive and less rufous-brown on upperparts; and eva differs from nominate only in slight yellowish tinge on belly.

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SUBSPECIES

Myzomela chloroptera eva Scientific name definitions

Systematics History

Myzomela chloroptera eva Meise, 1929, Journal für Ornithologie 77:443. Type locality given as "Djampea" [=Tanah Jampea, Selayar Islands] (12 Meise, W. (1929). Die Vögel von Djampea und benachbarten Inseln nach einer Sammlung Baron Plessens. Journal für Ornithologie 77(3):431–480. Close ).

Distribution

Selayar and Tanah Jampea (south of Sulawesi).

Identification Summary

Not consistently diagnosable from subspecies juga and is sometimes considered a junior synyonym of juga (4 Eaton, J. A., B. van Balen, N. W. Brickle, and F. E. Rheindt (2016). Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ).

Sulawesi Myzomela is presumably closely related to Bacan Myzomela (Myzomela batjanensis), with which it was previously considered conspecific, however the two have not been included together in any molecular phylogenetic study. In studies that included Sulawesi Myzomela, it was found to be closely related to both Taliabu Myzomela (Myzomela wahe) and Wakolo Myzomela (Myzomela wakoloensis), although the exact relationships among these three species is not fully resolved: in one study, Sulawesi Myzomela was sister to Wakolo Myzomela, with these two in turn sister to Taliabu Myzomela (13 Irham, M., H. Ashari, Suparno, C. R. Trainor, P. Verbelen, M. Y. Wu, and F. E. Rheindt (2020). A new Myzomela honeyeater (Meliphagidae) from the highlands of Alor Island, Indonesia. Journal of Ornithology 161(2):313–324. Close ), while in another study, Sulawesi Myzomela was sister to both of these species together (14 Hay, E. M., M. D. McGee, and S. L. Chown (2022). Geographic range size and speciation in honeyeaters. BMC Ecology and Evolution 22:86 Close ). In addition to these species, Sulawesi Myzomela is part of a clade that also includes Scarlet Myzomela (Myzomela sanguinolenta), Banda Myzomela (Myzomela boiei), Elfin Myzomela (Myzomela adolphinae) (13 Irham, M., H. Ashari, Suparno, C. R. Trainor, P. Verbelen, M. Y. Wu, and F. E. Rheindt (2020). A new Myzomela honeyeater (Meliphagidae) from the highlands of Alor Island, Indonesia. Journal of Ornithology 161(2):313–324. Close , 14 Hay, E. M., M. D. McGee, and S. L. Chown (2022). Geographic range size and speciation in honeyeaters. BMC Ecology and Evolution 22:86 Close ).

Sulawesi and some neighboring islands - Peleng (Banggai Islands) and Selayar and Tanah Jampea (south of Sulawesi).

Mainly primary montane forest and tall secondary forest, including moss forest, possibly mangroves. Recorded also in selectively logged forest in northern Sulawesi. Mainly in mountains, but extends to lowlands on low-lying islands: 700–2,400 m (occasionally down to 200 m) on Sulawesi; only in lowlands on Tanah Jampea; records on Peleng all from ca. 700–900 m.

Possibly moves locally to exploit resources.

Nectar from flowers; a subadult was once attracted to an insect light-trap at night. Frequents canopy and upper midstory; often forages in flowering trees, also in flowering mistletoes (of genus Loranthus) and parasitic shrubs. Seen singly, in twos (probably pairs), and either occasionally or regularly in small flocks; occasionally reported in mixed flocks of insectivores on Sulawesi.

Very vocal; male calls and sings from exposed branches high in canopy. Calls of nominate subspecies include loud clear “peeeew”, repeated every 2–2.5 seconds, while moving in canopy (soft “tschiep…tschiep…” repeated at intervals of several seconds probably the same call); sharp disyllabic “treeu tréé”, second syllable higher-pitched, repeated at ten-second intervals from treetops perch; fast, trisyllabic “tuwéédu” lasting 0.5 seconds and repeated every 2–3 seconds during foraging; and fast, rather brief, thin and high-pitched warble, from treetop (possibly same as short, pleasant, twittering phrase), comprising up to 12 notes and lasting up to c. 3.5 seconds, rendered “pew-twit wip’wip’wip…too-wit tit’tit’tit…” or a “chee-tit-tit-toit” lasting 0.8 seconds.

No information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern, but status has not been evaluated separately from the formerly conspecific Taliabu Myzomela (Myzomela wahe) and Bacan Myzomela (Myzomela batjanensis)). Common to scarce. Considered scarce to uncommon on Sulawesi, but common in Lore Lindu National Park and is known from several other conservation units there. Moderately common on Tanah Jampea, reasonably numerous on Peleng.