Coracina papuensis

White-bellied cuckoo-shrike Coracina papuensis, photographed by Lindsay Hansch.

Belongs within: Campephagidae.

The white-bellied cuckoo-shrike Coracina papuensis is found in forested habitats from Indonesia to the Solomon Islands, and northern and eastern Australia. The species can vary in appearance both between and within subspecies, with light and dark morphs potentially present.

Characters (from Morcombe 2003): Face with small black mask from top of bill through lores and narrowly behind fine white eye-ring (entire head may be dusky black in dark morph). Tail black, with outer feathers tipped white. Flight undulating, long glides alternating with bursts of wingbeats; on landing, each wing briefly flicked up, then folded. Contact call, often while in flight, a scratchy, peevish, rather piercing, unmusical 'queeik-quisseeik', 'quirreeik, quirreeik'; also softer churrings.

Coracina papuensis (Gmelin 1788) [=Corvus papuensis] WS48
    |--C. p. papuensis (see below for synonymy) L03
    |--C. p. angustifrons (Sharpe 1878) [incl. C. p. meekiana Rothschild & Hartert 1912] L03
    |--C. p. apsleyi Mathews 1912 [=Coracina hypoleuca apsleyi] L03
    |--C. p. artamoides Schodde & Mason 1999 L03
    |--C. p. eyerdami Mayr 1931 L03
    |--C. p. hypoleuca (Gould 1848) [=Graucalus hypoleucus; incl. C. hypoleuca parryi Mathews 1912] WS48
    |--C. p. ingens (Rothschild & Hartert 1914) [=Graucalus papuensis ingens] L03
    |--C. p. louisiadensis (Hartert 1898) [=Graucalus hypoleucus louisiadensis] L03
    |--C. p. oriomo Mayr & Rand 1936 L03
    |--C. p. perpallida Rothschild & Hartert 1916 L03
    |--C. p. robusta (Latham 1802) [=Lanius robustus; incl. C. robusta victoriae Mathews 1916] L03
    `--C. p. stalkeri Mathews 1912 M03, L03 [=C. hypoleuca stalkeri L03]

Coracina papuensis papuensis (Gmelin 1788) [incl. C. papuensis intermedia Rothschild 1931 non C. melaschistos intermedia (Hume 1877)] L03

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[L03] LeCroy, M. 2003. Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Part 5. Passeriformes: Alaudidae, Hirundinidae, Motacillidae, Campephagidae, Pycnonotidae, Irenidae, Laniidae, Vangidae, Bombycillidae, Dulidae, Cinclidae, Troglodytidae, and Mimidae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 278: 1-156.

[M03] Morcombe, M. 2003. Field Guide to Australian Birds, 2^nd ed. Steve Parish Publishing.

[WS48] Whittell, H. M. & D. L. Serventy. 1948. A systematic list of the birds of Western Australia. Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of Western Australia, Special Publication 1: 1-126.