The northern variable pitohui (''Pitohui kirhocephalus'') is a species of pitohui in the family Oriolidae. It is found on

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 ...

and a number of neighbouring islands. 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. It is also one of the few known poisonous birds.

Taxonomy and systematics

The northern variable pitohui was renamed from the variable pitohui in 2013 following the split of the

Raja Ampat pitohui The Raja Ampat pitohui (''Pitohui cerviniventris''), or Waigeo pitohui, is a species of pitohui in the family Oriolidae found on the western Papuan Islands of New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It ...

and the

southern variable pitohui The southern variable pitohui (''Pitohui uropygialis'') is a species of pitohui in the family Oriolidae. It is found on New Guinea and neighbouring islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is also one o ...

Subspecies

Eleven

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: * ''P. k. kirhocephalus'' - (

Lesson A lesson or class is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students (also called pupils or learners in some circumstances) being taught by a teacher or instructor. A lesson may be either one ...

& Garnot, 1827): Found on eastern

Vogelkop The Bird's Head Peninsula ( Indonesian: ''Kepala Burung'', nl, Vogelkop) or Doberai Peninsula (''Semenanjung Doberai''), is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the island of New Guinea, comprising the Indonesian provinces ...

(north-western New Guinea) * ''P. k. dohertyi'' -

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 ...

, 1903: Originally described as a separate species. Found in Wandammen area (north-western New Guinea) * ''P. k. rubiensis'' - ( Meyer, AB, 1884): Originally described as a separate species. Found from head of

Cenderawasih Bay Cenderawasih Bay ( id, Teluk Cenderawasih, "Bird of Paradise Bay"), also known as Sarera Bay ( id, Teluk Sarera) and formerly Geelvink Bay ( nl, Geelvinkbaai), is a large bay in northern Province of Papua, Central Papua and West Papua, New Guine ...

to Triton Bay (western New Guinea) * ''P. k. brunneivertex'' - Rothschild, 1931: Found on eastern coast of Cenderawasih Bay (north-western New Guinea) * ''P. k. decipiens'' - ( Salvadori, 1878): Originally described as a separate species. Found on the Onin Peninsula (south-western New Guinea) * ''P. k. adiensis'' - Mees, 1964: Found on

Adi Island Adi (or Adi Island, Indonesian: ''Pulau Adi'') is an Indonesian island. Adi is located approximately south of the equator in the Seram Sea off the western coast of New Guinea. It is severed from the Bomberai Peninsula Bomberai Peninsula ( id, ...

(off south-western New Guinea) * ''P. k. carolinae'' - Junge, 1952: Found in the Etna Bay region of south-western New Guinea * ''P. k. jobiensis'' - (Meyer, AB, 1874): Originally described as a separate species. Found on Kurudu Island and

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 Island a ...

(off north-western New Guinea) * ''P. k. meyeri'' - Rothschild & Hartert, 1903: Originally described as a separate species. Found on the Mamberamo coast (northern New Guinea) * ''P. k. senex'' - Stresemann, 1922: Found in the upper

Sepik The Sepik () is the longest river on the island of New Guinea, and the second largest in Oceania by discharge volume after the Fly River. The majority of the river flows through the Papua New Guinea (PNG) provinces of Sandaun (formerly West Se ...

region (northern New Guinea) * ''P. k. brunneicaudus'' - (Meyer, AB, 1891): Originally described as a separate species. Found in the lower Sepik region to

Astrolabe Bay Astrolabe Bay is a large body of water off the south coast of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, located at . It is a part of the Bismarck Sea and stretches from the Cape Iris in the south to the Cape Croisilles to the north. It was discovered ...

(northern New Guinea)

References

Pitohui Pitohui (genus) Birds described in 1827 Taxa named by Prosper Garnot Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Pachycephalidae-stub