About
Very little is known about this rare and elusive species, which was only rediscovered in 1985.
They are only found in one forest on a small island in Indonesia. Habitat loss has been the main cause of decline in number, which is now thought to be less than 100 mature individuals. The Sangihe shrike-thrush or Sangihe whistler appears dependent on undisturbed, mature forest, and does not appear to tolerate degraded habitat. The remaining undisturbed forest tracts on Sangihe island are small and fragmented, and the only known location of the Sangihe shrike-thrush is the Sahendaruman forest, which may be the species’ last stronghold. These vital areas of habitat need to be urgently and effectively protected to prevent the extinction of this rare species. It comes from a taxonomic family that is made up of only 13 living species, which are found throughout Australia and Asia.
- Order: Passeriformes
- Family: Pachycephalidae
- Population: 95-255
- Trend: decreasing
- Size: 17 cm
EDGE Score
Distribution
This shrike-thrush is endemic to Indonesia, only having been observed in the Sahendaruman forest on the island of Sangihe.
Habitat and Ecology
They inhabit low-altitude mountain forest at elevations between 575m and 1,000m above sea level. Most observations of the bird are of solitary individuals or pairs. They feed on insects, such as grasshoppers