Pitohui kirhocephalus
The Northern Variable Pitohui (Pitohui kirhocephalus) is a strikingly patterned passerine, typically measuring 22-26 cm in length and weighing 60-70 grams. Its plumage is a mosaic of glossy black and vibrant rufous-orange, though the exact pattern varies significantly among its many subspecies, giving rise to its 'variable' epithet. Distinctive field marks often include a black head contrasting with rufous underparts and back, or a fully black upper body with orange belly, making identificati...
Primarily inhabits lowland and hill forests, including monsoon forest, gallery forest, secondary growth, and forest edge, typically up to 1,000 meters elevation, occasionally higher.
Omnivorous, primarily feeding on insects such as beetles and ants, as well as a variety of fruits, foraging by gleaning from foliage and branches.
This diurnal species is an active forager, often moving energetically through the forest canopy and understory. It primarily gleans insects and fruits from foliage and branches, frequently joining mixed-species foraging flocks, particularly with other shrike-thrushes and cuckoo-shrikes. While spe...
The Northern Variable Pitohui is endemic to New Guinea and several adjacent islands. Its primary distribution extends across the lowlands and hill forests of northern New Guinea, from the Vogelkop Peninsula eastward along the north coast to the Huon Peninsula. Specific subspecies occupy distinct,...
Least Concern
- It was the first bird species ever scientifically proven to be toxic, a discovery made by ornithologist Dr. Jack Dumbacher in 1989. - The toxins, called batrachotoxins, are the same potent neurotoxins found in South American poison dart frogs. - Pitohuis are believed to acquire these toxins fro...