The Sepik-Ramu shrikethrush (''Colluricincla tappenbecki'') 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

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 ...

Taxonomy and systematics

This species was formerly considered a conspecific member of the

little shrikethrush Little shrikethrush has been split into the following species: * Arafura shrikethrush, ''Colluricincla megarhyncha'' * Variable shrikethrush, ''Colluricincla fortis'' * Waigeo shrikethrush, ''Colluricincla affinis'' * Mamberamo shrikethrush ...

complex. Genetic investigations 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 ...

populations of the little shrikethrush indicate high levels of genetic divergence, suggesting it comprised more than one species.

Subspecies

Currently, three

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: * ''C. t. tappenbecki'' -

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 ...

, 1898: Originally described as a separate species. Found in north-central New Guinea 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 i ...

(north-eastern New Guinea) * ''C. t. madaraszi'' - (Rothschild & Hartert, 1903): Found on

Huon Peninsula Huon Peninsula is a large rugged peninsula on the island of New Guinea in Morobe Province, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. The peninsula is dominated by the steep Saruwaged and Finister ...

, New Guinea * ''C. t. maeandrina'' - ( Stresemann, 1921): Found in east-central New Guinea

Distribution and habitat

It is found in New Guinea. 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

{{Taxonbar, from=Q65051768

Sepik-Ramu shrikethrush The Sepik-Ramu shrikethrush (''Colluricincla tappenbecki'') is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. Taxonomy and systematics This species was formerly considered a conspecific member of the little shrikethrush complex. Genetic inves ...

Birds of New Guinea