Streak-headed Honeyeater Pycnopygius stictocephalus Scientific name definitions

21 cm; two males 38 g and 39 g. Medium-sized rather drab honeyeater, with rather small and only slightly decurved bill; appearance much affected by plumage wear and fading. Top of head is blackish-brown with fine and short off-white to greyish-white streaking or speckling; side of head and neck, and chin and upper throat dark brown, conspicuous pale buff to off-white malar streak; upperparts dark brown, slightly darker on wing and tail, and becoming slightly paler with wear; lower throat and underbody buff-brown, underwing rich buff with dark grey trailing edge and tip; iris brown to dark brown or reddish-brown; bill blackish-brown to black, at least some having purplish tinge at base of lower mandible; legs dark grey. Sexes alike in plumage, male larger than female. Juvenile has underbody paler, buff, with grey tinge on breast, rectrices conspicuously edged and tipped pale brown to pale rufous; immature nondescript, differs from adult mainly in having top of head blackish with grey tinge or faint greyish mottling or spotting (not white spotting or streaking), merging to dull black on side of head and dull greyish-black on chin and throat, much less distinct malar stripe, duller brown upperparts and underbody, and (at least when plumage fresh) upperwing-coverts conspicuously edged rufous, also retained juvenile wing and tail with more conspicuous pale edging on rectrices.

Salawati (in West Papuan Is), Aru Is and throughout lowland New Guinea.

Generally a forest-edge specialist. Inhabits mainly disturbed and often open habitats, including tall secondary growth and partly cleared forest, forest edge, gallery vegetation in savanna, dense eucalypt (Eucalyptus) savanna woodland, swamp-forest and monsoon woodland or scrub, and gardens; found in rubber plantations around Veimauri-Kuriva (SE New Guinea). Recorded also in primary lowland forest (e.g. E Sepik District), primary hill forest (Ok Menga) and lower levels of dense forest (e.g. at Manokwari). Mainly sea-level to 500 m, locally to 640–750 m (Ok Tedi area) and 1000 m (Adelbert Mts).

Poorly known. Resident at Moroka (SE New Guinea). Some indication of at least local movements, apparently associated with flowering: numbers suddenly increased in mid-1978 in Veimauri area, where absent earlier in year; around Veimauri-Kuriva common throughout wet season but absent in dry season. Vagrant at Brown R.

Diet nectar, small fruits including figs (Ficus), insects. Often gleans from foliage, but also probes flowers for nectar. Seen in top branches of tall secondary growth, in upper storey and canopy of lowland forest, also in lower levels of primary forest. Usually singly, sometimes perched conspicuously atop a dead branch; sometimes in twos (possibly pairs) or threes. In flowering or fruiting trees, will drive off other species of similar size or smaller; during 4·5 hours of observation (over two days) of a fruiting tree, repeatedly drove off four species that had same diet, i.e. similarly sized White-bellied Cuckooshrike (Coracina papuensis) and smaller Ptilotula flavescens, Myzomela obscura and Myzomela adolphinae, but ignored five species with quite different diets, as well as five larger species (including Helmeted Friarbird Philemon buceroides and Brown Oriole) with dietary overlap. Visual and vocal similarity to Philemon buceroides (especially juvenile) and to latter’s visual mimic (Brown Oriole) may allow it to forage in same trees as these other, more pugnacious species without suffering aggressive interactions.

Distinctive, loud and rather musical and pleasant. Most frequently heard calls are mimicry of song phrases of Brown Oriole (Oriolus szalayi), e.g. “tudi-tudi-tuhííeuw” (duration c. 1 second), but mimicked phrases weaker and higher-pitched than original. Song described as attractive “tickety-tickerty-tickerty-teeuw”, first and penultimate syllables alike, second a tone lower, final syllable a descending slur, and lasting c. 3 seconds; given during song flight. Also described as bubbling series of 3–12 fairly high-pitched notes, “wchw-wchw-wchw…”, c. 4 notes per second, at intervals of a few seconds; or liquid “wheeta wheeta where” or “whita-tee whita-teer” repeated at intervals of c. 2 seconds; subdued “weut-teuk … weut” (from Manokwari, in Vogelkop) probably also song. Squeaking notes heard at nest on arrival of second bird, but not known if calls of unseen young or quiet calls by one or both adults.

Active nest near Finschhafen in early Sept and another near Port Moresby 9th Mar (latter apparently abandoned 4–6 days later). Nest a finely woven cup or basket of fine stems, suspended by rim from fine fork in foliage, near Port Moresby a deep cup of dried material (possibly grass), with exterior an even latticework, appeared to be suspended by two edges and was overhung by two large leaves, one nest c.12 m above ground near top of tree, another 8 m up in small tree. No other information.

Not globally threatened. Poorly known; considered generally scarce to rare but locally common. Fairly common in Veimauri-Kuriva area; uncommon in lowland forest of E Sepik District. No estimates of global population.