Fan-tailed berrypecker

Melanocharis versteri

Photo by Dan Blair (Bird Forum)

Common name:
fan-tailed berrypecker (en); pica-bagas-de-leque (pt); piquebaie éventail (fr); picabayas abanico (es); fächerschwanz-beerenpicker (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Melanocharitidae

Range:
This species is endemic to the island of New Guinea, where it is mainly restricted to the mountain ranges along the center of the islands, both in Papua-New-Guinea and Indonesia.

Size:
These birds are 14-19 cm long. The males are smaller, weighing 12,5-15 g, while females weigh 16-20 g.

Habitat:
This species is mostly found in High-altitude scrublands and rainforests, but also in grasslands and second growths, at altitudes of 1.250-3.700 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on berries and small fruits, but will also take some small insects.

Breeding:
Fan-tailed berrypeckers can probably breed all year round. They nest in a sturdy, deep cup made of fern fibres and lined with lichens, usually placed on a fork in a tree or on an horizontal branch. There the female lay 1-2 eggs. The is no information regarding the length of the incubation and fledgling periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is reported to be scarce to fairly common. There is no information regarding population trends or threats, but the species is not considered threatened at present.