The greater melampitta (''Megalampitta gigantea'') 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 lightweigh ...

in the family Melampittidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Megalampitta'', although it was once placed in the genus ''Melampitta'' with the

lesser melampitta The lesser melampitta (''Melampitta lugubris'') is a medium-sized enigmatic terrestrial songbird of mountain forests of New Guinea. It is the only species in the genus ''Melampitta''. It is now classified (with the greater melampitta) in the fami ...

. Formerly classified as a

bird-of-paradise The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species are found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. The family has 44 species in 17 genera. The members of thi ...

, the little-known greater melampitta has an uncertain taxonomy and is sometimes believed to be affiliated to pitohuis, as it appears to be poisonous to eat (Frith and Beehler 1998). It is found in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s and subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

References

greater melampitta The greater melampitta (''Megalampitta gigantea'') is a species of bird in the family Melampittidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Megalampitta'', although it was once placed in the genus ''Melampitta'' with the lesser melampitta. Former ...

Birds of New Guinea

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{passeri-stub