Alternative name: Verster's Berrypecker
- Melanocharis versteri
Identification
14 - 15cm. A relatively large Berrypecker with a long, graduated tail.
Male
- Black above with some glossed blue-green and iridescent blue
- Glossy black tail with white at base of outer rectrices
- Drab grey throat and underparts
- White pectoral tufts and underwing-coverts
- Black bill and legs
Female
- Larger than male but with proportionaly shorter tail
- Dull olive-green upperparts
- Olive-grey underparts fading to paler on lower underparts
- Yellowish belly, sometimes with a slightly streaked appearance
- Less white in tail than male
Immatures similar to females.
Similar species
Similar to Mid-mountain Berrypecker but larger, with a longer tail and without any yellow tones on underside.
Distribution
Endemic to the mountains of New Guinea.
Common and widespread in its range.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 4 subspecies[1]:
- M. v. versteri :
- North-western New Guinea (Arfak Mountains)
- M. v. meeki:
- Western New Guinea (Weyland, Nassau, Orange and Hindenberg mountains)
- M. v. virago:
- Mountains of northern New Guinea, Central Highlands and Huon Peninsula
- M. v. maculiceps:
- Herzog Mountains and Mountains of south-eastern New Guinea
Habitat
Mountain forest and secondary growth.
Occurs mainly above 1700m, probably most common between 2300 - 2600m.
Behaviour
Usually seen in lower levels or on ground, singly or in pairs.
Diet
Feeds on arthropods and small berries.
Breeding
Breeding poorly known. Nesting recorded in November and July, juveniles seen in August. The nest is a deep, neat cup bound to a horizontal branch or a vine fork.
A resident species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2012. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2012. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2008. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 13: Penduline-tits to Shrikes. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553453
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Fan-tailed Berrypecker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 14 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Fan-tailed_Berrypecker
