Mayr's Honeyeater Ptiloprora mayri Scientific name definitions

19·5 cm; male 30–37·5 g and female 24–29 g (nominate), male 29·3–36·3 g and female 25·5–29·2 g (acrophila). Nominate race has top and side of head and neck and upperbody black-brown to dusky black, irregular pale grey streaking on top of head (grey edges of feathers; crown can appear pale with dark spotting), merging to pale rufous-brown mottling on lower hindneck and side of neck and to heavy pale rufous-brown mottling on mantle, back and scapulars, and more diffuse and weaker mottling on rest of upperbody; upperwing and uppertail blackish-brown, wing-coverts with pale grey outer edges, primaries with pale grey to olive-grey outer edges; mostly light grey below, diffusely mottled dusky on chin and throat, distinctly streaked dusky grey on breast and belly, merging to dusky grey with rufous tinge and streaked with pale rufous-brown on sides of breast and belly and on flanks; vent and undertail-coverts as belly, but washed rufous-brown or yellowish and only faintly streaked; undertail brownish-grey; iris green or greyish-green; bill black; legs bluish-grey. Sexes alike in plumage, male larger than female. Juvenile is washed olive or greenish-yellow below. Race acrophila differs from nominate in having pale feather on forehead and crown slightly darker grey, merging to dull olive on nape and hindneck, rufous-brown edges on upperbody darker, duller and tinged olive, wing-covert edges varyingly light rufous-olive (not pale grey), and streaking below paler and greyer and less contrasting.

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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.

Hill and montane forest, moss forest and secondary forest. Nominate race at 1200–2150m; acrophila apparently confined to summit of Mt Menawa (highest peak in North Coastal Range), from 1280 m to 1885 m.

Presumed sedentary.

Diet includes arthropods (insects), nectar and fruit. Forages from understorey to canopy, including crowns of flowering trees; gleans, and probes flowers.

Plaintive whistles. Song described as high plaintive slur repeated monotonously once every 3 seconds, but varying, e.g. a rising disyllable, descending disyllable, rising and falling slur or falling and then rising slur. Call a startled, moderately high-pitched slightly squeaky “cheap”.

Female ready to lay in early Sept. No other information.

Not globally threatened. Restrictedrange species: present in North Papuan Mountains EBA. Poorly known; considered generally abundant within its altitudinal limits.