Black pitohui facts for kids

The black pitohui is a special kind of bird found in the mountains of New Guinea. It's known for its dark feathers. This bird lives in warm, wet forests, usually in the lowlands. It belongs to a bird family called Pachycephalidae.

Quick facts for kids Black pitohui
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Pachycephalidae
Genus:	Melanorectes Sharpe, 1877
Species:	M. nigrescens
Binomial name
Melanorectes nigrescens (Schlegel, 1871)
Subspecies
See text
Script error: The function "autoWithCaption" does not exist.
Synonyms
Pitohui nigrescens Rectes nigrescens

Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".

About Its Name and Family

Birds, like all living things, have scientific names. This helps scientists around the world know exactly which animal they are talking about. The black pitohui's scientific name is Melanorectes nigrescens.

This bird was first named in a group called Rectes. Later, in 2013, scientists decided it fit better in its own special group, Melanorectes. Sometimes, people call it the black whistler or the dusky pitohui.

Different Kinds of Black Pitohui

Just like there are different kinds of dogs, there are different kinds of black pitohuis! These are called subspecies. They are slightly different versions of the same bird, often living in different areas. There are six known subspecies of the black pitohui:

• M. n. nigrescens: This kind is found in the northwestern part of New Guinea.
• M. n. wandamensis: You can find this one in the Wandammen Peninsula, which is in western New Guinea.
• M. n. meeki: This subspecies lives in west-central New Guinea.
• M. n. buergersi: This type is found in northern and east-central New Guinea.
• M. n. harterti: This one lives in northeastern New Guinea.
• M. n. schistaceus: This subspecies is found in southeastern New Guinea.