Coracina boyeri
Boyer's Cuckooshrike (*Coracina boyeri*) is a striking medium-sized passerine, typically measuring around 23-25 cm in length and weighing approximately 55-70 grams. Its plumage is predominantly slate-grey, with darker flight feathers and a distinctive black facial mask extending from the lores through the eye, contrasting sharply with its white vent and under-tail coverts. Distinctive field marks include this prominent black mask, the overall grey body, and the white underparts. Males often e...
This arboreal cuckooshrike primarily inhabits lowland and hill primary rainforests, secondary growth, and forest edges, typically at elevations up to 1,200 meters. It is rarely found far from dense tree cover.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a variety of invertebrates including caterpillars, beetles, and grasshoppers, supplemented occasionally with small fruits. Forages mainly by gleaning from foliage and branches.
Boyer's Cuckooshrike is a largely arboreal species, spending most of its time in the mid-canopy to sub-canopy layers of the forest, often observed singly, in pairs, or small family groups. They are active foragers, employing a "sally-glean" technique, where they perch quietly before making short ...
Boyer's Cuckooshrike is endemic to the Australasian biogeographic realm, with its primary breeding and resident range extending across mainland New Guinea, including both the Indonesian provinces of West Papua and Papua, and the independent nation of Papua New Guinea. Its distribution further enc...
Least Concern
- The genus name *Coracina* is derived from the Greek "korax" (raven) and refers to the dark coloration common in many cuckooshrikes, even though Boyer's is predominantly grey. - Despite its "cuckooshrike" name, it is not related to cuckoos, nor is it a shrike; the name refers to a superficial re...