The rusty pitohui (''Pseudorectes ferrugineus'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the family

Pachycephalidae The Pachycephalidae are a family of bird species that includes the whistlers, shrikethrushes, and three of the pitohuis, and is part of the ancient Australo-Papuan radiation of songbirds. The family includes 64 species that are separated into fi ...

. It is found throughout the lowlands of the

Aru Islands The Aru Islands Regency ( id, Kabupaten Kepulauan Aru) is a group of about 95 low-lying islands in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia. It also forms a regency of Maluku Province, with a land area of . At the 2011 Census the Regency had a p ...

and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The rusty pitohui was originally classified within the genus ''Rectes'' (a synonym for the genus ''

Pitohui The pitohuis are bird species endemic to New Guinea. The onomatopoeic name is thought to be derived from that used by New Guineans from nearby Dorey (Manokwari), but it is also used as the name of a genus '' Pitohui'' which was established by the ...

'') until moved to ''Pseudorectes'' by the IOC in 2013. Alternatively, some other authorities classify the rusty pitohui in the genus ''

Colluricincla A shrikethrush, also spelt shrike-thrush, is any one of eleven species of songbird that is a member of the genus ''Colluricincla''. They have nondescript, predominantly brown or grey, plumage, but are accomplished singers, their calls described as ...

''. Alternate names for the rusty pitohui include the ferrugineous pitohui and rusty shrike-thrush.

Subspecies

Six subspecies are recognized: * ''P. f. leucorhynchus'' - ( Gray, GR, 1862): Originally described as a separate species in the genus '' Rectes''. Found on

Waigeo Waigeo is an island in Southwest Papua province of eastern Indonesia. The island is also known as Amberi, or Waigiu. It is the largest of the four main islands in the Raja Ampat Islands archipelago, between Halmahera and about to the north-wes ...

(off western New Guinea) * ''P. f. fuscus'' - ( Greenway, 1966): Found on

Batanta Batanta is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in Southwest Papua province, Indonesia. Its area is 453 km² and its highest point is 1184 m. The Pitt Strait separates it from Salawati, while the Dampier Strait separate ...

(off western New Guinea) * ''P. f. brevipennis'' - (

Hartert Ernst Johann Otto Hartert (29 October 1859 – 11 November 1933) was a widely published German ornithologist. Life and career Hartert was born in Hamburg, Germany on 29 October 1859. In July 1891, he married the illustrator Claudia Bernadine E ...

, 1896): Found on Aru Islands (off south-western New Guinea) * ''P. f. ferrugineus'' - ( Bonaparte, 1850): Found on

Misool Misool, formerly spelled Mysol (Dutch: Misoöl) or Misol, is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in Southwest Papua, Indonesia. Its area is 2,034 km2. The highest point is 561 m and the main towns are Waigama, locate ...

and

Salawati Salawati is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in Southwest Papua (formerly West Papua), Indonesia. Its area is 1,623 km2. Salawati is separated from New Guinea to the southeast by the Sele Strait (a.k.a. Galowa Stra ...

(off south-western New Guinea) and north-western New Guinea * ''P. f. holerythrus'' - ( Salvadori, 1878): Originally described as a separate species in the genus ''Rectes''. Found on

Yapen Yapen (also Japan, Jobi) is an island of Papua, Indonesia. The Yapen Strait separates Yapen and the Biak Islands to the north. It is in Cenderawasih Bay off the north-western coast of the island of New Guinea. To the west is Mios Num Islan ...

(off north-western New Guinea) and north-central New Guinea * ''P. f. clarus'' - ( Meyer, AB, 1894): Found in eastern and southern New Guinea

Description

The rusty pitohui is a medium-sized, approximately 28 cm long, rusty brown

songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds ( Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 50 ...

with a strong black

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

, pale iris and yellowish-buff below. The subspecies ''P. f. leucorhynchus'' and ''P. f. fuscus'' of Waigeo and Batanta islands off

Western New Guinea Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, or Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the Melanesian island of New Guinea which is administered by Indonesia. Since the island is alternatively named as Papua, the region ...

have a whitish bill. It is the largest member of its family. Both sexes are similar.

Distribution and habitat

The rusty pitohui is distributed and endemic to lowland and hill forests of New Guinea, Aru Island and West Papuan islands.

Behaviour and ecology

The rusty pitohui is usually seen in small parties, mixed with other gregarious species. It builds a deep, cup-shaped nest of sticks, leaves and stems in a fork of a tree.

Status

Widespread and common throughout its habitat range, the rusty pitohui is evaluated as least concern on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

of Threatened Species.

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet
rusty pitohui rusty pitohui rusty pitohui {{Pachycephalidae-stub