Bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchidae)

Black-eared Catbird (Ailuroedus melanotis) - HBW 14, p. 393

French: Jardinier oreillard German: Schwarzohr-Laubenvogel Spanish: Maullador Orejudo
Other common names: Black-cheeked/Spotted Catbird

Taxonomy: Ptilonorhynchus melanotis G. R. Gray, 1858, Aru Islands.
Probably forms a superspecies with A. crassirostris; sometimes considered conspecific, but treatment as separate species supported by morphological and geographical factors, and equivocal protein-allozyme data. Birds of this species in Fakfak Mts, Kumawa Mts and Wandammen Mts (all NW New Guinea) of uncertain racial identity and tentatively included in arfakianus, but confirmation required; limits of race jobiensis uncertain, and birds in Adelbert Mts could belong to astigmaticus; birds in Jimi R area, also of uncertain race, tentatively included in guttaticollis.. View all taxonomy...

Subspecies and Distribution:

misoliensis Mayr & Meyer de Schauensee, 1939 - West Papuan Is (Misool).
arfakianus A. B. Meyer, 1874 - mountains of Vogelkop (Tamrau and Arfak), Onin Peninsula (Fakfak Mts), Bomberai Peninsula (Kumawa Mts) and Wandammen Mts, in NW New Guinea.
jobiensis Rothschild, 1895 - Bewani Mts, Torricelli Mts, Prince Alexander Mts, middle Idenburg R and Adelbert Mts, in N New Guinea.

See all 10 subspecies

misoliensis Mayr & Meyer de Schauensee, 1939 - West Papuan Is (Misool).
arfakianus A. B. Meyer, 1874 - mountains of Vogelkop (Tamrau and Arfak), Onin Peninsula (Fakfak Mts), Bomberai Peninsula (Kumawa Mts) and Wandammen Mts, in NW New Guinea.
jobiensis Rothschild, 1895 - Bewani Mts, Torricelli Mts, Prince Alexander Mts, middle Idenburg R and Adelbert Mts, in N New Guinea.
facialis Mayr, 1936 - Nassau Mts and Oranje Mts, in W New Guinea.
guttaticollis Stresemann, 1922 - Hunstein Range, Sepik R and Jimi R, in NE New Guinea.
astigmaticus Mayr, 1931 - mountains of Huon Peninsula, in NE New Guinea.
melanotis ( G. R. Gray, 1858) - Aru Is, and lowland Trans-Fly region of S New Guinea.
melanocephalus E. P. Ramsay, 1883 - mountains of SE New Guinea E from Herzog Mts in N and Mt Karimui (and possibly Kratke Mts) in S.
joanae Mathews, 1941 - E Cape York Peninsula (Pascoe R and Iron Range areas S to Rocky R, in McIlwraith Range), in N Queensland (NE Australia).
maculosus E. P. Ramsay, 1875 - wet tropics of N Queensland from Big Tableland S to Seaview Range and Mt Halifax.