banda myzomela Myzomela boiei

A small honeyeater with a downcurved bill. Striking male has a candy-apple red hood, back, and rump, contrasting with the black wings, tail, and chest band and the white belly. Female is uniform gray-brown except for a diagnostic faded red wash on the face and throat. Singles or pairs inhabit lowland forests, forest edge, mangroves, and open wooded areas, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks. Unmistakable, as it is the only myzomela in its restricted range in the Banda Islands. Song comprises several introductory notes followed by a rapid warble: “chi-chi-churrrrrrrr.”