Greater Melampitta (Megalampitta gigantea)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

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

Least Concern

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

  1. Dablin Creek RoadPapua New Guinea19 records
  2. Tabubil AreaPapua New Guinea4 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Papua New Guinea

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

Greater Melampitta

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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