Goldenface

Overview

The goldenface, or Pachycare flavogriseum, is a passerine bird endemic to New Guinea and the only species within its genus. Its exact placement within the passerines is uncertain, though molecular evidence suggests it belongs to the family Acanthizidae. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• A small bird measuring around 13 cm in length.
• Distinctive plumage with a slate-grey back, tail, wings, and cap contrasting with a bright yellow face, throat, breast, and belly.
• A black line borders the face from the crown to the shoulder, and tertial feathers are tipped with black and white.
• Black bill and eyes with pink legs; females possess a dusky patch on the face.

Habitat

Endemic to the island of New Guinea, occurring in both Papua and Papua New Guinea. It prefers hill and montane forest between 400 and 1800 m elevation, being usually commoner in dense forest between 1600 and 1800 m.

Diet

Insects and spiders form the majority of its diet, which are gleaned from the outer foliage of trees, usually in the midstory but sometimes in the upper stories. The goldenface sometimes joins mixed-species feeding flocks when foraging.

Did you know?

Little is known about its breeding biology, but the nest is built by both parents into a globular shape with a distinctive downward-pointing side entrance. Birds in breeding condition have been observed in August and October, with eggs and nestlings found from June to November.