Spotted berrypecker
| Spotted berrypecker | |
|---|---|
| Male (upper left) and female (bottom) by W. Hart | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Melanocharitidae |
| Genus: | Melanocharis |
| Species: | M. piperata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Melanocharis piperata (De Vis, 1898)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Rhamphocharis piperata | |
The spotted berrypecker (Melanocharis piperata) is a species of bird in the family Melanocharitidae. It is found in New Guinea. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the thick-billed berrypecker (Rhamphocharis crassirostris), but was split as a distinct species by the IOC in 2021.[2] The name "spotted berrypecker" references the spotted plumage that the female bird has.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
A molecular genetic study published in 2021 found that the spotted berrypecker, then placed in the genus Rhamphocharis, was embedded in the genus Melanocharis.[3] Base on this result, the spotted berrypecker and the thick-billed berrypecker were moved from Rhamphocharis to Melanocharis.[4]
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2017). "Rhamphocharis piperata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Species Updates – IOC World Bird List". Retrieved 2021-06-13.
- ^ Milá, B.; Bruxaux, J.; Friis, G.; Sam, K.; Ashari, H.; Thébaud, C. (2021). "A new, undescribed species of Melanocharis berrypecker from western New Guinea and the evolutionary history of the family Melanocharitidae". Ibis. 163 (4): 1310–1329. doi:10.1111/ibi.12981. hdl:10261/246638.
- ^ AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi:10.2173/avilist.v2025. Retrieved 18 November 2025.