Melampitta gigantea: Possible Relation between Feather Structure and Underground Roosting Habits

Abstract

The Greater Melampitta (Melampitta gigantea) is one of the least known and apparently rarest New Guinea birds. No field observations at all have been reported for it. Only six specimens are known, from four far-flung areas of New Guinea, and records of only four of these specimens have been published. The apparent rareness of this species contrasts with the relative abundance of its only congener, the Lesser Melampitta (M. lugubris) of the New Guinea highlands. These two species were formerly considered babblers (Timaliidae), but are now assigned to the family Orthonychidae (log-runners), along with 15 other species that formerly were also usually considered to be babblers (14 other species in New Guinea or Australia or both, and 1 species in Malaya and the Greater Sunda Islands). Between 25 February and 3 March 1981, I found the Greater Melampitta to be common at a new locality, the Fakfak Mountains of northwestern New Guinea. I discovered its peculiar habitat preference and roost, recorded its voice, and obtained a second-hand account of its nest. The habitat preference helps explain why this species has been rarely encountered before. As background to my observations, I first review data on the six known specimens.