Family Honeyeaters (Meliphagidae)
Least Concern
Mimic Honeyeater (Microptilotis analogus)
Taxonomy
French: Méliphage sosie German: Papuahonigfresser Spanish: Mielero imitador
Taxonomy:
Ptilotis analoga
Reichenbach
, 1852,“Oceanien”; error = Triton Bay, south-east New Guinea
.
Subspecies and Distribution
M. a. analogus
(Reichenbach, 1852) – West Papuan Is (Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, Misool) and most of mainland New Guinea.
M. a. flavidus
(Stresemann & Paludan, 1932) – Yapen I and Mios Num (in Geelvink Bay), and N New Guinea E, including Kairiru I and Mushu I (off Wewak), to Astrolabe Bay.
M. a. longirostris
(Ogilvie-Grant, 1911) – Aru Is.
Also (racially distinct, identity uncertain) N watershed of SE New Guinea.
Descriptive notes
15·5–19·5 cm; male 18·5–30 g and female 18–24 g (nominate), male 18–28·7 g and female 17·8–26 g (flavidus... read more
Voice
Call notes include shrill or staccato “tup”; short, bright disyllabic or upslurred note... read more
Habitat
Primary forest and forest edge, secondary forest, tall secondary growth, scrub and scrub-forest,... read more
Food and feeding
Diet includes arthropods (insects), fruit (including of Symplocos), seeds (probably ingested with fruit), and nectar from... read more
Breeding
Breeding birds Aug–Dec and (race flavidus) Mar–May. Described nest claimed as being of present species considered more... read more
Movements
Probably largely sedentary, with some local movements.
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Generally common, especially in S. No estimates of total population. Probably the easiest member of genus to observe in New Guinea.
Possibly conspecific with M. vicina. Name stevensi (from N watershed of SE New Guinea) has been used for a race variously of present species and of M. cinereifrons; recent genetically based investigations indicate that specimens attributed to stevensi include cryptic variants of both species. Populations in Baiyer Valley (E New Guinea) probably constitute an as yet unnamed race. Race citreolus of M. orientalis originally treated as an altitudinal variant of present species. Form rarus, described from single specimen attributed to M. mimikae, is an atypical specimen of present species (race flavidus)#R. Birds of N lowlands (Wewak E to Huon Gulf), described as race connectens, appear indistinguishable from flavidus; birds from Fly R district E to Hall Sound proposed as race papuae, but inseparable from nominate. In general, geographical variation rather weak, and species treated as monotypic by some recent authors#R. Three subspecies currently recognized.