Peltops

Peltops is a genus of bird in the butcherbird family Cracticidae. The genus contains two species endemic to the island of New Guinea. The genus was once placed with the monarch flycatchers, but molecular and morphometric studies place it closer to the butcherbirds, possibly as a sister taxon to this group. The genus is named for the Greek pelte meaning small shield and ops meaning face. The species have also had the common name of shieldbill.

Distribution and habitat
They both occupy rainforest on New Guinea, but are separated by altitude. The Lowland Peltops ranges across the island from sea level to 600 m, whereas the Mountain Peltops ranges from 600 to(-). 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 the canopy.

Description
The peltops are smaller than the butcherbirds, and have a less massive (but still large) bill than them. The Mountain Peltops is the larger species, at 20 cm, whereas the Lowland Peltops is slightly smaller at 18 to(-). The hooked bill is the same size in both species, making it proportionally larger in the Lowland Peltops.

Species
It contains the following species:
 * Lowland Peltops (Peltops blainvillii)
 * Mountain Peltops (Peltops montanus)