Yellow-legged Flyrobin Kempiella griseoceps Scientific name definitions

12–13 cm; 10–12 g. Nominate subspecies has crown, side of head and hindneck grey, spot in front of eye and eyering off white; upperparts olive green, upperwing and tail dark brown, rectrices narrowly edged olive-brown; chin to upper breast off white, remainder of underparts straw yellow, upper breast with pale brownish wash; iris dark brown; upper mandible black, lower mandible cream yellow; legs bright orange-buff. Sexes similar. Juvenile has upperpart feathers tipped buff, upperwing coverts with pale tips, underpart feathers tipped dark; immature similar to adult, except for pale-tipped secondary coverts. Subspecies occidentalis has crown darker and browner than nominate, upperparts darker; kempi  is much paler  .

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Subspecies seem reasonably distinct, although some variation apparently non-geographical (1 Beehler, B. M., and T. K. Pratt (2016). Birds of New Guinea: Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ). Three subspecies recognized.

Recorded once on Aru Islands (2 Diamond, J.M. and Bishop, K.D. (1994). New records and observations from the Aru Islands, New Guinea region. Emu 94(1):41–45. Close ).

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.

In New Guinea, found in primary forest, tall secondary forest, forest edge and partly cleared areas with regrowth, mainly in hills and lower mountains at 550–1,400 m, but rarely up to 2,300 m, locally in lowlands in Trans-Fly region; sometimes only in narrow zone around 1,200 m. At lower elevations usually replaced by Olive Flyrobin (Kempiella flavovirescens), at higher altitudes by Canary Flyrobin (Devioeca papuana), sometimes with wide overlap. In Australia (subspecies kempi) inhabits rainforest and its edges, extending as much as 50 m into adjacent eucalypt (Eucalyptus) and paperbark (Melaleuca) forest, monsoon forest; avoids denser sections of forest. Vagrant on Aru Islands recorded in mangroves.

No indications of movement in Australia; regarded as resident at several sites in New Guinea. Recorded as vagrant in Aru Islands, south of west New Guinea.

Insects and other small arthropods. Forages mainly in upper canopy, sometimes ranging down to middle stages. Prey captured by aerial sallying (to up to 6 m above canopy); sometimes obtained by sally-striking at foliage. Sometimes joins mixed-species flocks with other small insectivores.

Song a loud clear whistle, repeated 5–10 times, some notes trilled. Call while foraging a low piping or hissing “zzt zzt zzt”; also, subdued “tew joei joei joei” and a chattering call  .

In New Guinea, laying female in October, young being fed in December and juveniles in January–March, suggesting breeding in at least October–January, encompassing late dry season and early wet season, and perhaps also end of wet season (report of nest in May possibly erroneous); in Australia probably October/November–January/February, in wet season. Nest a small neat cup of rootlets, bound with spider web and decorated with pieces of bark and lichen, external diameter 3.8 cm, height 4 cm, internal depth 2 cm; placed 6–30 m from ground on horizontal branch. Clutch 2 eggs  , pale blue, with dark brown and grey specks all over (mainly at larger end), 15 × 12 mm; adults observed to perform incubation in bouts of 4–7 minutes, with about same time off nest. No other information.

Not globally threatened. Generally scarce in New Guinea, but inconspicuous and easily missed. Uncommon to scarce in Australia; reports from farther south in Queensland, in vicinity of Coen and Atherton Tableland, require corroboration.