Region

New Guinea region

Typical Environment

Occurs in the Aru Islands and the lowlands of southern New Guinea. It inhabits primary and secondary lowland rainforest, swamp forest, and gallery forest. The species keeps to shaded understory and midstory perches, often near forest edges or light gaps. Although sometimes found along streams, it is not tied to aquatic habitats. Human disturbance is tolerated to a degree where forest structure remains.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 800 m

Climate Zone

Tropical

Temperament

shy and secretive

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats between perches

Social Behavior

Usually seen singly or in pairs, maintaining small territories in lowland forest. Breeding pairs often excavate nesting tunnels in arboreal termite mounds or rotting termitaria. Clutch size is small, and both parents share incubation and chick-rearing.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

Gives a clear, piping series of whistles and thin, ringing notes that carry through the forest. Calls are often repeated in steady sequences at dawn and dusk, with sharper contact chips when disturbed.

Diet

Feeds mainly on insects and other arthropods such as beetles, grasshoppers, and spiders. Will also take small lizards or frogs when available. Prey is typically spotted from a low to mid-level perch and seized in short sallies to the ground or foliage. It occasionally gleans from trunks and branches near clearings.

Preferred Environment

Forages within shaded understory and along edges of primary and secondary rainforest. Often uses perches near gaps, trails, and quiet stream margins, though it does not rely on open water. Dense cover is preferred for both hunting and retreat.