Crow honeyeater
| Crow honeyeater | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Meliphagidae |
| Genus: | Gymnomyza |
| Species: | G. aubryana |
| Binomial name | |
| Gymnomyza aubryana Verreaux & Des Murs, 1860 | |
The crow honeyeater (Gymnomyza aubryana) is a very large honeyeater with orange facial wattles. It superficially resembles a crow with its glossy black plumage and a curved beak. Crow honeyeaters have long rounded wings and a long tail and neck. Their bill is long and bicolored – yellow below, black above. It has a loud, ringing sound which is predominantly in the early mornings.
This bird is endemic to New Caledonia and lives in humid forests on hills. It is relatively inconspicuous, and lives either in pairs or alone. It forages for invertebrates and nectar in the canopy and midstorey.
This bird is critically endangered due to introduced rats. Extensive surveys have only found it in the Parc de la Rivière Bleue area, the slopes of the Kouakoué, Pourina and Ouiné valleys, Rivière Blanche and Mont Pouédihi slopes and Mt Panie. It is spread throughout the island, though mostly in the south. It is estimated that there are between 50 and 249 birds left. The reasons behind the apparent population declines are not well understood.
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2013). "Gymnomyza aubryana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.