Black Sittella - BirdForum Opus

Photo by mehdhalaouate
Baliem Valley, New Guinea, September 2009

Daphoenositta miranda

Identification

14cm

• Mostly black
• Red face
• Dagger shaped bill
• Short tail

Distribution

New Guinea.

Taxonomy

Some authorities list this species in the genus Neositta; if so the scientific name would be Neositta miranda.

Subspecies^[1]

This species has three subspecies:

• D. m. frontalis:

• Mountains of north-western New Guinea

• D. m. kuboriensis:

• Central Highlands of north-eastern New Guinea

• D. m. miranda:

• Mountains of south-eastern New Guinea

Habitat

Highlands and dense rainforests.

Behaviour

Breeding

Nests are open cups in forked branches. The 2-3 eggs are incubated by the female for 19-20 days.

Diet

The diet includes insects, spiders and caterpillars.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black Sittella. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 February 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black_Sittella

External Links

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