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Samoan Triller Lalage sharpei Scientific name definitions

Barry Taylor
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated November 17, 2016

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Field Identification

13 cm. Distinctive triller. Nominate race has forehead and top of head down to base of eye, and nape, mantle, back and scapulars hair-brown with darker feather shafts; rump and uppertail-coverts darker, more olive-brown; wings blackish-brown, all coverts and remiges narrowly fringed whitish, more buffy to tawny on outer edges of greater coverts and remiges; rectrices hair-brown with pale feather tips; ear-coverts and neck side rufous-buff, barred brown; underparts white, washed buff, and irregularly barred dark brown on side of neck, across breast and on flanks; iris white; bill bright red-orange; legs dark brown. Sexes alike. Juvenile and immature undescribed. Race tenebrosa is much darker brown than nominate on upperparts and upperwing, sometimes almost blackish on ear-coverts and neck side, barring on underparts much heavier.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Sometimes separated in monospecific Oscarornis, on grounds of its juvenile-type plumage and lack of sexual dimorphism. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies


SUBSPECIES

Lalage sharpei sharpei Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Samoa (Upolu).

SUBSPECIES

Lalage sharpei tenebrosa Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Samoa (Savaii).

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Primary and secondary forest and forest edge; also occurs rarely in cattle pasture with undergrowth and trees, and in traditional plantations with few permanent houses. From 200 m to above 600 m.

Movement

None recorded.

Diet and Foraging

Eats fruit and invertebrates. Moves rather slowly, gleaning from leaves of shrubs and small trees. It frequently forages in the canopy of the tallest trees and rarely or never on the ground (1). No other information.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Thin, squeaky, ascending or descending trill, sounding as if forced out with great effort. In addition to this trill, which is probably a call note rather than a song, there is a short burst of usually five clear notes twee-twee-twee-twee-twee, as well as several other calls while foraging (1).

Breeding

No information.

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near Threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Samoan Islands EBA. Generally uncommon. In a 1984 survey, on Upolu, found to be not common in the O le Pupu-pu’e National Park, which is unmanaged and which had been severely damaged by cyclones; the park threatened by logging and cattle farming. This species is almost certainly sedentary, and requires the full and effective protection of primary forest if its future survival is to be secured.

Distribution of the Samoan Triller - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Samoan Triller

Recommended Citation

Taylor, B. (2020). Samoan Triller (Lalage sharpei), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.samtri1.01
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