7-1-2016 HONG KONG - WHITE EARED CATBIRD (Ailuroedus buccoides)

The white-eared catbird (Ailuroedus buccoides ) is a species of bird in the family Ptilonorhynchidae found on New Guinea and the West Papuan Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

Martin Irestedt and colleagues examined the white-eared catbird species complex genetically and found there were three distinct lineages: the white-eared catbird (Ailuroedus buccoides ) proper of the Bird's Head (Vogelkop) Peninsula, the ochre-breasted catbird (Ailuroedus stonii ) of the southern lowlands of New Guinea, and tan-capped catbird (Ailuroedus geislerorum ) of the northern lowlands of New Guinea. In 2016, the ochre-breasted catbird and the tan-capped catbird were split from the white-eared catbird as separate species.

A large, shy, stocky bird of lowland and foothill forest interior of western New Guinea. A dark brown crown edged with black, contrasting with white cheek and throat, containing small black dots forming an uneven moustache. A messy, black collar joins the crown on the back of the neck and gets narrower to the throat. Chest and belly are buffy with large black spots. May overlap with Arfak Catbird, but White-eared is usually found at lower elevation, is smaller and has a white cheek. Call, a harsh rasping note.

The white-eared catbird (Ailuroedus buccoides) is a medium-sized passerine found in the tropical and sub-tropical dry forests of Papua (Indonesia), Papua New Guinea and some nearby islands.

The 25 cm long bird is on top green colored, and the chest and abdomen are pale yellow-brown with black spots. The cheeks are white and the cap is black or dark brown.

Adult catbirds subsist primarily on fruit, but will take the nestlings of other species on rare occasions; chicks are mostly fed insects.

The white-eared catbird is a very vocal bird, with a loud, hissing call.