| Peltops | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lowland peltops (Peltops blainvillii) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Artamidae |
| Subfamily: | Cracticinae |
| Genus: | Peltops Wagler, 1829 |
| Type species | |
| Eurylaimus blainvillii[1] Lesson & Garnot, 1827 | |
| Species | |
Peltops is a genus of birds in the familyArtamidae. It contains two species that areendemic to the island ofNew Guinea. The species have also had the common name of shieldbill.
The genusPeltops was introduced by the German zoologistJohann Georg Wagler in 1829.[2] Thetype species is thelowland peltops.[3] The name is from theGreekpelte meaning small shield andops meaning face.[4] The genus was once placed with themonarch flycatchers, but molecular and morphometric studies place it closer to thebutcherbirds,[5] possibly as a sister taxon to this group.[6] The genus is placed in its ownsubfamily, Peltopsinae.[7][8]
The genus contains two species:[9]
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Peltops blainvillii | Lowland peltops | Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. |
| Peltops montanus | Mountain peltops | Indonesia and Papua New Guinea |
Peltops are smaller than the butcherbirds, and have a less massive but still large bill. The mountain peltops is the larger species, at 20 cm (7.9 in), whereas the lowland peltops is slightly smaller at 18 to 19 cm (7.1–7.5 in). The hookedbill is the same size in both species, making it proportionally larger in the lowland peltops.[10]
Both species occupy rainforest on New Guinea, but are separated by altitude. Thelowland peltops ranges across the island from sea level to 600 m (2,000 ft), whereas themountain peltops ranges from 600 to 3,000 m (2,000–9,800 ft). Within the forest they are particularly common at forest openings and edges, tree falls, river edges, and other disturbed areas including human modified openings like roads and gardens. In undisturbed virgin forest they may use massive trees emerging from and above thecanopy.[10]
