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Passeriformes
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Campephagidae
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- Mussau Triller
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- Mussau Triller

Mussau Triller Lalage conjuncta Scientific name definitions

Barry Taylor
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2005

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

17–18 cm. Male is black on top of head (including lores and down to below eye) and upperparts; rump white, uppertail-coverts barred black and white; lesser and median upperwing-coverts as back, greater coverts white, innermost greaters with black inner webs; alula and primary coverts black; remiges black, inner edge of primaries white, outer edge of secondaries and tertials white; tail black, outer feathers tipped white; cheeks, ear-coverts, throat and underparts white, thighs black and white, belly to undertail-coverts light chestnut; underwing-coverts white, spotted black near outer edge; iris dark brown; bill and legs black. Differs from L. leucomela mainly in lack of prominent white forehead and supercilium, and in having chestnut (not orange-buff) lower underparts; from L. sueurii and L. tricolor in having white on upperwing-coverts, chestnut belly to undertail-coverts. Female, juvenile and immature undescribed.

Systematics History

Formerly treated as conspecific with L. leucomela (which see). Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

Mussau I, in St Matthias Group (N Bismarck Archipelago).

Habitat

Forest; possibly only in closed forest in hills.

Movement

Presumably sedentary.

Diet and Foraging

No information. Diet probably similar to that of L. leucomela. Likely to forage in canopy.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Short nasal calls, e.g. “tchu”, often repeated in short phrases, e.g. as “tchow-tchow-de-weet”.

Breeding

No information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife VU Vulnerable
Not globally threatened. Status not properly assessed, as this taxon has usually been considered conspecific with more widespread L. leucomela. Population and precise area occupied on Mussau not recorded. Should perhaps be classified as Vulnerable, at best, in view of its very restricted range and the extensive logging that has occurred, and continues, on the island.
Distribution of the Mussau Triller - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Mussau Triller

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Taylor, B. (2020). Mussau Triller (Lalage conjuncta), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.vartri3.01
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