Polynesian Triller

Taxobox
name = Polynesian Triller


status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Campephagidae
genus = "Lalage"
species = "L. maculosa"
binomial = "Lalage maculosa"
binomial_authority = (Peale, 1848)The Polynesian Triller ("Lalage maculosa") is a passerine bird belonging to the triller genus "Lalage" in the cuckoo-shrike family Campephagidae. It has numerous subspecies distributed across the islands of the south-west Pacific.

It is 15 to 16 cm long. The plumage varies geographically; some populations are contrastingly black and white while others have more grey or brown coloration.

It is a noisy bird with a nasal, rasping call. The song is short and high-pitched.

The breeding range extends through Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Wallis and Futuna, Vanuatu and the Santa Cruz Islands. It occurs in a wide variety of habitats including man-made habitats such as plantations and gardens. It feeds on insects such as caterpillars and also feeds on fruit.

The cup-shaped nest is placed in the fork of a tree branch. One or two eggs are laid; these are greenish with brown blotches.

References

*aut|Bregulla, Heinrich L. (1992) "Birds of Vanuatu", Anthony Nelson, Oswestry, England.
*aut|Pratt, H. Douglas; Bruner, Philip L. & Berrett, Delwyn G. (1987), "A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific", Princeton University Press, Chichester.