
Greater Melampitta
Megalampitta gigantea (Rothschild, 1899)
205 gWeight
The greater melampitta (Megalampitta gigantea) is a species of bird in the family Melampittidae.
Most records: Papua New Guinea
Where and when it's recorded
Greater Melampitta has been recorded at 2 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Dablin Creek RoadPapua New Guinea19 records
- Tabubil AreaPapua New Guinea4 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The greater melampitta (Megalampitta gigantea) is a species of bird in the family Melampittidae. It is the only species in the genus Megalampitta, although it was once placed in the genus Melampitta with the lesser melampitta. Formerly classified as a bird-of-paradise, the little-known greater melampitta has an uncertain taxonomy and is sometimes believed to be affiliated to pitohuis, as it appears to be poisonous to eat (Frith and Beehler 1998).
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Greater Melampitta?
The Greater Melampitta weighs around 205 g.
Where does the Greater Melampitta live?
Its breeding range: Australasia: disjunct localities in northwestern, southwestern, central, north-central and southeastern New Guinea. It is most often recorded in Papua New Guinea.
Is the Greater Melampitta endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Greater Melampitta as Least Concern.
What does the Greater Melampitta eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Greater Melampitta in?
It belongs to the family Melampittas (Melampittidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Weight
- 205 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 129 mm
- Tail
- 114 mm
- Bill
- 37 mm
- Tarsus
- 53 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Australasia: disjunct localities in northwestern, southwestern, central, north-central and southeastern New Guinea
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Melampittas Melampittidae
- Genus
- Megalampitta
More from the family Melampittas

Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Joshua Bergmark | Ornis Birding Expeditions. ↗
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Lesser MelampittaMelampitta lugubris