Black-eared catbird
Ailuroedus melanotis (G. R. Gray, 1858)
The black-eared catbird (Ailuroedus melanotis) is a species in the family Ptilonorhynchidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 176.9 g to 214 g and live up to 4 years. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Australia. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the black-eared catbird
- Weight
- 176.9 g – 214 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 4 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Frugivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 23 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1.4 – 2src for Young per litter or clutch
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- 1 countrysrc for Countries on record
Where does the black-eared catbird live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The black-eared catbird is listed for 1 country.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
What is the black-eared catbird?
The black-eared catbird (Ailuroedus melanotis) is a species of bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchidae) which can be found northern Queensland, Australia, and New Guinea, including its surrounding islands. They are named after their cat-like wails and black ear spot.
From the Wikipedia article “Black-eared catbird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black-eared_catbird&oldid=1334127078), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the black-eared catbird endangered?
The black-eared catbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the black-eared catbird classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyPtilonorhynchidae
- genusAiluroedus
- SpeciesAiluroedus melanotis (G. R. Gray, 1858)
Synonyms Ptilonorhynchus melanotis, Ptilorhynchus melanotis
Other names and names in other languages (45)
- Arfak catbirdEnglish
- Spotted catbirdEnglish
- arquer orellutCatalan
- lemčík černouchýCzech
- aderyn cath clustdduWelsh
- Sortøret KattefuglDanish
- VogelkoplaubenvogelGerman
- Schwarzoh-LaubenvogelGerman
- Schwarzohr-LaubenvogelGerman
- SchwarzohrlaubenvogelGerman
- VogelkopflaubenvogelGerman
- nigrorela katoptilonorinkoEsperanto
- Maullador orejudoSpanish
- Maullador de ArfakSpanish
- Maullador OrejinegroSpanish
- mustpõsk-kõutslindEstonian
- kuningasnaukujaFinnish
- Jardinier oreillardFrench
- Jardinier de l'ArfakFrench
- crnouha vrtlaricaCroatian
- feketefülű nyávogómadárHungarian
- Burung-kucing tutulIndonesian
- Uccello gatto macchiatoItalian
- ミミグロネコドリJapanese
- アルファクネコドリJapanese
- juodaausis katpaukštisLithuanian
- ArfakkattefuglNorwegian Bokmål
- VogelkopkatvogelDutch
- ZwartoorkatvogelDutch
- svartørekattefuglNorwegian
- miauczek czarnouchyPolish
- Miauczek czarnogardłyPolish
- jardineiro-malhadoPortuguese
- miador-d'orelhas-pretasPortuguese
- miador-de-faces-pretasPortuguese
- Арфакская птица-кошкаRussian
- Черноухая птица-кошкаRussian
- šiatorník tmavosluchýSlovak
- Crnouha mačkuljaSerbian
- fläckig kattfågelSwedish
- svartörad kattfågelSwedish
- Kara Kulaklı KedikuşuTurkish
- нявкун чорнощокийUkrainian
- 斑园丁鸟Chinese
- 斑紋貓鳥〔黑耳貓鳥〕Chinese
Relatives of the black-eared catbird
Other species in the same genus Ailuroedus.
Green catbird
Ailuroedus crassirostris
White-eared catbird
Ailuroedus buccoides
Spotted catbird
Ailuroedus maculosus
Ochre-breasted catbird
Ailuroedus stonii
Arfak catbird
Ailuroedus arfakianus
Tan-capped catbird
Ailuroedus geislerorum
CompareBlack-eared catbird vs Green catbirdBlack-eared catbird vs White-eared catbirdBlack-eared catbird vs Spotted catbirdBlack-eared catbird vs Ochre-breasted catbird
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the black-eared catbird?
An adult black-eared catbird weighs 176.9 g – 214 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Where does the black-eared catbird live?
Catalogue of Life checklists list the black-eared catbird for 1 country: Australia. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.
Is the black-eared catbird endangered?
The black-eared catbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the black-eared catbird live?
The black-eared catbird has a recorded lifespan of 4 years.
What kind of animal is the black-eared catbird?
The black-eared catbird (Ailuroedus melanotis) belongs to the family Ptilonorhynchidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Black-eared catbird (Ailuroedus melanotis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-eared-catbird
“Black-eared catbird (Ailuroedus melanotis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-eared-catbird.
@misc{black_eared_catbird_2026,
title = {Black-eared catbird (Ailuroedus melanotis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-eared-catbird},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}