Papuan babbler

The Papuan babbler, New Guinea babbler, or Isidore's rufous babbler, is a species of bird in the family Pomatostomidae. It is found in New Guinea and its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

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Distribution

Region

New Guinea

Typical Environment

Occurs widely across the lowlands and foothills of New Guinea on both the Papua New Guinea and Indonesian (Papua and West Papua) sides. It inhabits subtropical and tropical moist lowland forest, including secondary growth, riverine thickets, bamboo, and forest edge. The species often uses dense understory and tangled viney thickets for cover as it forages near the ground. It tolerates selectively logged forest and regrowth, provided sufficient understory remains.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 1200 m

Climate Zone

Tropical

Characteristics

Size19–23 cm

Wing Span26–30 cm

Male Weight0.06 kg

Female Weight0.055 kg

Life Expectancy7 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

The Papuan babbler lives in cohesive family groups that forage together and often engage in cooperative breeding. They build bulky, domed nests used for both breeding and communal roosting. Vocal, they give antiphonal calls where group members seem to “answer” one another. By probing leaf litter for insects, they help control forest invertebrate populations.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

social and active

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats between cover; prefers to run and hop through understory

Social Behavior

Usually found in small, tight-knit parties that maintain contact with constant calling. Groups defend territories and often cooperate in nesting and rearing young. Nests are bulky, domed structures placed low to mid-level in dense vegetation and may also be used as communal roosts.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

Loud, chatty series of chattering notes, whistles, and harsh scolds delivered in chorus. Groups often perform antiphonal duets, giving the impression of a continuous, conversational exchange.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

Papuan eagle

The Papuan eagle is a large bird of prey. It is also known by several other names, including Papuan harpy eagle, New Guinea eagle, New Guinea harpy eagle, or kapul eagle, the latter name from the local name for a usually arboreal marsupial that the eagle is known to regularly hunt. This is an endemic species to New Guinea, and it can occasionally be found throughout the island. This is a forest-dwelling species, usually occurring in mature rainforest. The Papuan eagle is a fairly little-known species for a large eagle; however, it is known to prey on a wide range of prey, probably by and large mammals and birds from small to quite large sizes. Unique amongst eagles, the Papuan eagle is a surprisingly fast and agile terrestrial avian predator and is capable of chasing down prey on the forest floor. What little study has been conducted about its breeding habits suggests it nests in a large forest tree, perhaps every other year. The Papuan eagle is probably naturally scarce, but it is under the threat of habitat destruction by deforestation, as well as hunting. Due to its small and declining population, the species has been classified as vulnerable by the IUCN.

Papuan eclectus

The Papuan eclectus, red-sided eclectus, or New Guinea eclectus is a parrot species which is native to New Guinea. Larger than the Moluccan eclectus, the green plumage of the male only has a slight yellow tinge and the tail is tipped with a half-inch yellow band. The central tail feathers are green and lateral ones blue and green. It is widely distributed from Kai Islands and western islands of the West Papua province in the west, across the island of New Guinea to the Trobriands, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Louisiade Archipelago, Bismarck Archipelago, and Solomon Islands to the east, and south to the northern Cape York Peninsula of Australia. It has also been introduced to the Goram Islands, Indonesia.