Satin Berrypecker
Melanocharis citreola
The Satin Berrypecker (Melanocharis citreola) is a legendary longbills and berrypecker found only in Indonesia. The satin berrypecker is a species of berrypecker in the family Melanocharitidae that was described in 2021.
About the Satin Berrypecker
The satin berrypecker is a species of berrypecker in the family Melanocharitidae that was described in 2021. It is the only bird known to be endemic to the Bird's Neck in Western New Guinea, where it inhabits the Fakfak and Kumawa Mountains, two mountain ranges separated by 80 km of lowland rainforest. It inhabits mid-montane cloud forest with many ferns, mosses, and lichens and seems to prefer relatively open areas with sparser trees and more abundant tree ferns. It is known from elevations of 900 to 1,440 m in the Kumawa Mountains and 1,200 to 1,500 m in the Fakfak Mountains.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Adults have a length of 13–14 cm (5.1–5.5 in); one adult male measured had a mass of 9.2 g (0.32 oz). Wing lengths and tail lengths in adults males are 61–62 cm (24–24 in) and 49.5–50.5 cm (19.5–19.9 in), respectively. Immature males have been recorded having masses of 11.1–11.7 g (0.39–0.41 oz), wing lengths of 59.0–62.5 cm (23.2–24.6 in), and tail lengths of 46.5–48.0 cm (18.3–18.9 in). It is thought to be sexually dimorphic. Adult males have an iridescent blue-black crown, back and rump. The face is blue-black, with a sharp malar line that separates it from the white throat. Voice: The satin berrypecker's vocalisations are poorly studied; males are known to give high-pitched calls similar to the contact calls of the fan-tailed berrypecker when being handled, but these sounds may have been distress calls and unrepresentative of the satin berrypecker's usual vocalisations.
When to see it
Best months: April, November, with peak activity in November. It is a summer visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Satin Berrypecker?
- Adults have a length of 13–14 cm (5.1–5.5 in); one adult male measured had a mass of 9.2 g (0.32 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- Where can you see a Satin Berrypecker?
- The Satin Berrypecker is endemic to Indonesia, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Satin Berrypecker?
- The Satin Berrypecker is most easily confused with the Obscure Berrypecker, the Streaked Berrypecker and the Mid-mountain Berrypecker.
- Is the Satin Berrypecker endangered?
- The Satin Berrypecker is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Satin Berrypecker for real
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