Lesser Melampitta (Melampitta lugubris)
About the Lesser Melampitta
The lesser melampitta (Melampitta lugubris) is a medium-sized enigmatic terrestrial songbird of mountain forests of New Guinea. It is the only species in the genus Melampitta. It is now classified (with the greater melampitta) in the family Melampittidae, but in some other sources it is variously considered close to or in the Orthonychidae (logrunners), Paradisaeidae (birds of paradise), Corcoracidae (Australian mud-nesters), Cnemophilidae (satinbirds) or Monarchidae (monarch flycatchers). A local name, used by the Ketengban people of the Jayawijaya Mountains, is golík. It is approximately 18 cm long and has an all-black plumage with long legs and short tail. Both sexes are almost similar, distinguished by the color of the iris. The male has crimson red iris while the female's are dark brown.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 42 recordings for this species: 12 CC BY-NC-ND · 10 CC BY-NC-SA. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Other birds you can hear here
- Australasian FigbirdSphecotheres vieillotirecording
- Blue-winged KookaburraDacelo leachiirecording
- Channel-billed CuckooScythrops novaehollandiaerecording
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthisrecording
- Fan-tailed CuckooCacomantis flabelliformisrecording
- Grey ShrikethrushColluricincla harmonicarecording
These are the birds recorded alongside it, not close relatives — the site holds no other member of its genus or family yet.