Birds Guide

The Melanocharitidae, the berrypeckers and longbills, is a small bird family restricted to the forests of New Guinea. The family was once placed inside the Flowerpecker family Dicaeidae. It comprises ten species in two genera:

• Melanocharis
  • Obscure Berrypecker, Melanocharis arfakiana
    Black Berrypecker, Melanocharis nigra
    Lemon-breasted Berrypecker, Melanocharis longicauda
    Fan-tailed Berrypecker, Melanocharis versteri
    Streaked Berrypecker, Melanocharis striativentris
    Spotted Berrypecker, Melanocharis crassirostris
• Toxorhamphus
  • Yellow-bellied Longbill, Toxorhamphus novaeguineae
    Slaty-chinned Longbill, Toxorhamphus poliopterus
    Dwarf Honeyeater, Toxorhamphus iliolophus
    Pygmy Honeyeater, Toxorhamphus pygmaeum

These are medium-sized birds which feed on fruit and some insects and other invertebrates. They have drab coloured plumage in greys, browns or black and white. The berrypeckers resemble stout short-billed honeyeaters, and the longbills are like drab sunbirds.

Melanocharitidae species are usually seen alone or in pairs; they build a cup nest and lay one or two eggs.

External links

• http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/winkler/botw/melanocharitidae.html