Santo Thicketbird (Megalurulus whitneyi)

Other Names (World)
Santo Thicketbird, Guadalcanal Thicketbird, Melanesian Thicketbird, Bismarck Thicketbird (grosvenori), Bismarck Thicket-warbler (grosvenori), Bismarck Warbler (grosvenori), New Britain Thicketbird (grosvenori), New Britain Thicket-warbler (grosvenori), New Britain Warbler (grosvenori), Whiteman Mountains Thicketbird, Whiteman Mountains Thicket-warbler, Whiteman Mountains Warbler, Bougainville Thicketbird (llaneae), Bougainville Thicket-warbler (llaneae), Solomons Thicketbird (turipavae), New Hebrides Thicketbird (whitneyi)

Family
Locustellidae (Grasshopper-warblers And Grassbirds)

Size
17 - 18 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Mayr, 1933)

Habitat
High-altitude mossy forest. From 700 - 1,500 m.

Range (Guide)

Solomon Islands (B) (NB), Vanuatu (B) (NB).

Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu (B), Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands (B).

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010) and decreasing.

Status NT
Predation by feral cats appears to be the main threat.

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Habits
Shy and secretive.

Voice
A series of piercing, descending notes 'tzwee-zwee-wee-wee'.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (8)...)

Melanesian Thicketbird (Cincloramphus whitneyi) [XC674634]
by Dominik Maximili\u00e1n Ram\u00edk from Espiritu Santo (near Nokowula), Sanma Province, Vanuatu (song)

Melanesian Thicketbird (Cincloramphus whitneyi) [XC282311]
by Dominik Maximili\u00e1n Ram\u00edk from Pic Santo Trek, Sanma Province, Vanuatu (song)

Subspecies
Subspecies grosvenori and llaneae have at times been considered to represent separate species, as has, less often, turipavae.

The following 4 subspecies are recognised:

whitneyi (Mayr, 1933) - Esp�ritu Santo, in northern Vanuatu.
grosvenori (Gilliard, 1960) - Known from 2 specimens from New Britain (Bismarck Arch.). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, New Britain Thicketbird (Megalurulus grosvenori).
llaneae (Hadden, 1983) - Mountains of Bougainville (northern Solomon Islands). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Bougainville Thicketbird (Megalurulus llaneae).
turipavae (Cain & Galbraith, ICJ, 1955) - Guadalcanal (Turipava), in south-eastern Solomon Is. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Guadalcanal Thicketbird (Megalurulus turipavae).

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Santo Thicketbird (Megalurulus whitneyi) - 3 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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