Arfak catbird
# Arfak catbird

The Arfak catbird (Ailuroedus arfakianus) is a species of bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchidae) which can be found in the Bird's Head (Vogelkop) Peninsula in western New Guinea.

This species was formerly considered a subspecies of the spotted catbird before being reclassified as a distinct species in 2016. Martin Irestedt and colleagues examined the black-eared, spotted- and green catbird species complex genetically and found there were seven distinct lineages: the green catbird (A. crassirostris) of eastern Australia and the spotted catbird (A. maculosus) of eastern Queensland being the earliest offshoots, followed by the Huon catbird (A. astigmaticus) and black-capped catbird (A. melanocephalus) of eastern New Guinea, the Arfak catbird (A. arfakianus), the northern catbird (A. jobiensis) of central-northern New Guinea, and black-eared catbird (A.melanotis) of southwestern New Guinea, Aru Islands and far North Queensland.

## Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized:

* Ailuroedus arfakianus misoliensis – Mayr & Meyer de Schauensee, 1939: found on Misool Island (Papua)
* Ailuroedus arfakianus arfakianus – A.B. Meyer, 1874: found in the Vogelkop Mountains of northwest New Guinea
