The Obi cicadabird is a passerine bird in the family Campephagidae that is found the island of Obi in the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. The species was formerly considered to be conspecific with the common cicadabird, now renamed the Sahul cicadabird.
Region
Maluku Islands, Indonesia
Typical Environment
Occurs only on Obi Island, inhabiting primary and well-structured secondary lowland forests, forest edges, and tall riverine woodland. It favors the canopy and subcanopy, where it moves methodically along branches to glean prey. It can persist in selectively logged forests if sufficient tall trees remain. It is generally uncommon away from intact forest but may venture into edges and overgrown clearings near forest.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Obi cicadabird is a canopy-dwelling cuckooshrike restricted to Obi Island in Indonesia’s North Maluku. It was formerly lumped within the widespread Common Cicadabird complex, now often treated as the Sahul cicadabird, but differs in voice and subtle plumage. Like its relatives, it gives buzzy, cicada-like calls and often forages quietly high in the forest. It may join mixed-species flocks, which helps it find insect prey efficiently.
Temperament
quiet and unobtrusive, often deliberate
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between perches, strong bursts through canopy
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks in the canopy. Breeding is assumed to involve a small cup nest placed high in trees, as in congeners, with both sexes likely sharing parental duties. Territories are maintained through calls and short chases within the canopy.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives buzzy, cicada-like trills and harsh notes, interspersed with short chattering phrases. Calls carry through the canopy but are delivered at low volume, often revealing the bird before it is seen.
Plumage
Male is mostly slaty to blackish-grey above with paler grey underparts and a slightly darker facial mask; wings and tail are dark with subtle edging. Female is browner above with warmer tones and fine dusky barring or scalloping below; throat and belly paler. Both sexes have a slender, slightly hooked bill typical of cicadabirds and smooth, unpatterned upperparts. Overall impression is of a neat, medium-sized cuckooshrike with clean underparts and minimal wing markings.
Diet
Primarily hunts insects such as cicadas, beetles, moths, and caterpillars, gleaned from foliage and bark. Will sally short distances to snatch flying prey and probe clusters of leaves. May occasionally take small fruits or berries but is predominantly insectivorous.
Preferred Environment
Feeds high in the subcanopy and canopy of mature and secondary forests, especially along edges and gaps where insect activity is high. Also forages along forested streams and in tall second-growth with residual large trees.
