Eastern half of New Guinea: Tabubil area (in Western Province), Keki (in Adelbert Mts), Boana (near Lae), and near Port Moresby at Efogi (on the Kokoda Trail) and Varirata. Also Arfak Mts (north-western New Guinea), but no records subsequent to its original discovery there.
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).
Status LC
Known from two specimens (1867 in the Arfak Mountains and in 1933 from 950 m near the upper Angabunga River) and a series of recent unconfirmed sight records from New Guinea. Habitat destruction through logging and clearance appears to be the main threat.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Obscure Berrypecker (Melanocharis arfakiana) [XC23529]
by Frank Lambert from Dablin Creek, Tabubil, Western Province, Papua New Guinea (call)
Obscure Berrypecker (Melanocharis arfakiana) [XC409637]
by Ross Gallardy from Menyambouw, Pegunungan Arfak, Papua Barat, Indonesia (call)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Perhaps forms a species pair with Black Berrypecker (Melanocharis nigra). Birds from Boana, in southern Huon Peninsula, exhibit better-marked pale eyering than those in rest of range, but taxonomic significance, if any, of this is uncertain.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet