The black pitohui (''Melanorectes nigrescens'') 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
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
genus of ''Melanorectes'' 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 f ...
.
It is found throughout the highlands of
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 ...
is 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.
Taxonomy and systematics
The black pitohui was originally described in 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 ...
'') and re-classified to ''Melanorectes'' in 2013. Alternate names include black whistler and dusky pitohui.
Subspecies
The following six
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are recognized:
* ''M. n. nigrescens'' –
(Schlegel
Schlegel is a German occupational surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Anthony Schlegel (born 1981), former American football linebacker
* August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767–1845), German poet, older brother of Friedrich
* Brad Schlege ...
, 1871): Found in northwestern New Guinea
* ''M. n. wandamensis'' –
(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 ...
, 1930): Found in Wandammen Peninsula (western New Guinea)
* ''M. n. meeki'' –
(Rothschild
Rothschild () is a name derived from the German ''zum rothen Schild'' (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "with the red sign", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by sign ...
& 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 ...
, 1913): Originally described as a separate species in 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 ...
''. Found in west-central New Guinea
* ''M. n. buergersi'' –
( Stresemann, 1922): Found in northern and east-central New Guinea
* ''M. n. harterti'' –
Reichenow
Anton Reichenow (1 August 1847 in Charlottenburg – 6 July 1941 in Hamburg) was a German ornithologist and herpetologist.
Reichenow was the son-in-law of Jean Cabanis, and worked at the Natural History Museum of Berlin from 1874 to 1921. He was ...
, 1911: Originally described as a separate species. Found in northeastern New Guinea
* ''M. n. schistaceus'' –
(Reichenow, 1900): Found in southeastern New Guinea
References
black pitohui
The black pitohui (''Melanorectes nigrescens'') is a species of bird in the monotypic genus of ''Melanorectes'' in the family Pachycephalidae.
It is found throughout the highlands of New Guinea.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mois ...
black pitohui
The black pitohui (''Melanorectes nigrescens'') is a species of bird in the monotypic genus of ''Melanorectes'' in the family Pachycephalidae.
It is found throughout the highlands of New Guinea.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mois ...
Birds of New Guinea
Taxa named by Hermann Schlegel
black pitohui
The black pitohui (''Melanorectes nigrescens'') is a species of bird in the monotypic genus of ''Melanorectes'' in the family Pachycephalidae.
It is found throughout the highlands of New Guinea.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mois ...
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Pachycephalidae-stub