Polynesian triller

The Polynesian triller (Lalage maculosa) is a passerine bird belonging to the triller genus Lalage in the cuckoo-shrike family Campephagidae. It has numerous subspecies distributed across the islands of the south-west Pacific.

Polynesian triller
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Campephagidae
Genus: Lalage
Species:
L. maculosa
Binomial name
Lalage maculosa
(Peale, 1848)
  Geographic range of the Polynesian triller

It is 15 to 16 cm long. The plumage varies geographically; some populations are contrastingly black and white while others have more grey or brown coloration.

It is a noisy bird with a nasal, rasping call. The song is short and high-pitched.

The breeding range extends through Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Wallis and Futuna, Vanuatu and the Santa Cruz Islands. It occurs in a wide variety of habitats including man-made habitats such as plantations and gardens. It feeds on insects such as caterpillars and also feeds on fruit.

The cup-shaped nest is placed in the fork of a tree branch. One or two eggs are laid; these are greenish with brown blotches.

  • Subspecies L.m. pumila, Abaca, Viti Levu, Fiji Isles
  • Subspecies L.m. woodi, Savusavu, Vanua Levu, Fiji Isles
  • Subspecies L.m. woodi, Matei, Taveuni, Fiji Isles
  • Unknown subspecies, Nuku'alofa, Tonga

Notes
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Lalage maculosa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

References
  • Bregulla, Heinrich L. (1992) Birds of Vanuatu, Anthony Nelson, Oswestry, England.
  • Pratt, H. Douglas; Bruner, Philip L. & Berrett, Delwyn G. (1987), A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific, Princeton University Press, Chichester.
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