Oriole whistler

The oriole whistler (Pachycephala orioloides), also known as the yellow-throated whistler (leading to easy confusion with Pachycephala macrorhyncha), is a species of bird in the Pachycephalidae family, which is endemic to the Solomon Islands, and the islands of Bougainville and Buka in far eastern Papua New Guinea. It is variably considered a subspecies of a widespread golden whistler (P. pectoralis) or treated as a separate species, but strong published evidence in favour of either treatment is limited, and further study is warranted to resolve the complex taxonomic situation.^[1]

Even if recognized as a separate species, the oriole whistler includes several very different subspecies, though the males are united by their yellow throat. A notable exception is feminina from Rennell Island where the plumage of the male is female-like, and it has been suggested it should be treated as a separate monotypic species,^[1] though no major taxonomic authority recognize this at present. The oriole whistler is found throughout the Solomons, except in the Santa Cruz Islands where the males are white-throated (populations from southern part of this island group are associated with the Melanesian whistler, P. caledonica, while those from the northern and central part are associated with the white-throated whistler, P. vitiensis).^[1]

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