Island monarch

Monarcha cinerascens

Photo by Joseph Monkhouse (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:
island monarch (en); monarca-ilhéu (pt); monarque des ilês (fr); monarca isleño (es); graukopfmonarch (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae

Range:
This species is found in the islands of eastern Indonesia, west of New Guinea, including Timor, Sulawesi, the Moluccas and the Lesser Sundas, and also on the islands off northern and eastern New Guinea and in the Solomon islands.

Size:
These birds are 16,5-19 cm long and weigh about 30 g.

Habitat:
The island monarch is mostly found in moist tropical forests, in low hills and lower mountainous areas. They also use coastal dry scrublands and plantations.

Diet:
They feed primarily on small invertebrates, such as ants, small cockroaches, grasshoppers, thrips and springtails, also eating fruits such as wild figs.

Breeding:
Island monarchs can possibly breed all year round. The nest is a bulky cup made of dried grass, plant fibres, black vine tendrils and moss, and is placed on a sloping fork of a scrub or small tree 6-17 m above the ground or over water. The female lays 1-2 eggs, but there is no available information regarding the incubation and fledging periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is reported to be common to very common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Chestnut-capped flycatcher

Erythrocercus mccallii

Photo by Chris Perkins (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
chestnut-capped flycatcher (en); papa-moscas-de-barrete-vermelho (pt); érythrocerque à tête rousse (fr); monarca capirrufo (es); rotkappen-spreizschwanz (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae

Range:
This species is found from Guinea and southern Mali, along the Gulf of Guinea coast and into Gabon, Congo, northern D.R. Congo and marginally into western Uganda and northern Angola.

Size:
These birds are 10 cm long and weigh 6-8 g.

Habitat:
The chestnut-capped flycatcher is mostly found in lowland, primary rainforests, also using swamp forests, mountain rainforests, mature secondary forests, plantations and arable land.

Diet:
They feed mainly on small insects, such as ants, bees, beetles, termites and grasshoppers.

Breeding:
These birds can possibly breed all year round. There is no further information on the reproduction of this species.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be uncommon to abundant. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

White-tailed crested-flycatcher

Elminia albonotata

Photo by André Wiertz (Oiseaux)

Common name:
white-tailed crested-flycatcher (en); papa-moscas-de-cauda-branca (pt); elminie à queue frangée (fr); elminia coliblanca (es); berghaubenschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae

Range:
This species is found in East Africa, from Kenya, Uganda and eastern D.R. Congo south to eastern Zimbabwe and central Mozambique.

Size:
These birds are 13-15 cm long and weigh about 5-11 g.

Habitat:
The white-tailed crested-flycatcher is mostly found in moist tropical forests in mountainous areas, but also use forests at lower altitudes and moist scrublands. They are present at altitudes of 350-2.700 m.

Diet:
They hunt small insects by gleaning the foliage and hawking aerially, namely taking ants, flies and moths.

Breeding:
These birds breed in May-December. The female builds the nest alone, consisting of a cup pointed at the base, made of woven green moss secured with spider webs. It is typically placed in a fork of a sapling or scrub or weed, usually 1-2 m above ground. There she lays 2-3 eggs which she incubates alone for about 17 days while the male brings her food. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 12 days after hatching, but only become fully independent at the end of the breeding season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as uncommon to common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

African crested-flycatcher

Trochocercus cyanomelas

(Photo from Lee's Birdwatching Adventures)

Common name:
African crested-flycatcher (en); monarca-de-poupa (pt); tchitrec du Cap (fr); monarca de El Cabo (es); blaumantel-haubenschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae

Range:
This African species is found from Uganda, Kenya and southern Somalia, though Tanzania, southern D.R. Congo, Zambia and Mozambique, and into eastern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 14-15 cm long and weigh 10 g.

Habitat:
African crested-flycatchers are mostly found in the undergrowth of moist tropical forests, also using dry tropical forests and dry scrublands.

Diet:
They hunt small invertebrates, either by gleaning the foliage or on the wing.

Breeding:The African crested-flycatcher breeds in September-January. The nest is a thick-walled cup, made of bark fibres, moss, fine grass and lichen, bound together with spider webs.There the female lays 2-3 eggs which are incubated by both sexes. There is no information regarding the length of the incubation and fledgling periods.

Conservation:IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large but patchy breeding range and is reported to be uncommon to frequent. The population is estimated to be in decline based on the lack of recent records in some areas.

Tinian monarch

Monarcha takatsukasae

Photo by Desmond Allen (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
Tinian monarch (en); monarca-de-Tinian (pt); monarque de Tinian (fr); monarca de Tinian (es); Tinianmonarch (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae

Range:
This species is endemic to the island of Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands.

Size:
These birds are 15 cm long.

Habitat:
The Tinian monarch is mostly found in limestone forests, but uses all forests available on Tinian, including secondary forests and introduced tangan-tangan Leucaena leucoephala thickets.

Diet:
They are mainly insectivorous, gleaning invertebrates such as moths, butterflies, ants, caterpillars, and several long legged insects from leaves and bark. They are also known to occasionally eat small lizards.

Breeding:
Tinian monarchs can breed all year round, but with seasonal peaks related with rainfall levels. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of an open cup made of dry Casuarina  needles, dry leaves, grasses, vine tendrils, spider webs, and lined with feathers. It is placed at the base of a vertical branch, up to 2 m above the ground. The female lays 1-3 white eggs with reddish-brown spots, which are incubated by both parents for 15 days. The chicks fledge about 13 days after hatching, but continue to receive food from the parents for another 8 weeks.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a small breeding range and a global population estimated at 20.000-50.000 individuals. Following declines in the first half of the 20th century caused by deforestation, the population is now believed to be stable. However, declines of up to 50% are projected in the likely event of the brown tree-snake Boiga irregularis becoming established on Tinian. Other threats include typhoons, forests fires, forest clearance for cattle farming, military activities and tourism, and avian diseases.

Hawaii elepaio

Chasiempis sandwichensis

(Photo from Flickr)

Common name:
Hawaii elepaio (en); monarca-do-Hawai (pt); monarque d'Hawaï (fr); monarca elepaio (es); Hawaii-elepaio (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae

Range:
This species is endemic to the island of Hawai'i, in the Hawaian islands.

Size:
These birds are 14 cm long and weigh 12-18 g.

Habitat:
The Hawaii elepaio is found in moist tropical forests, moist scrublands and dry savannas with some differences between subspecies. The subspecies C. s. bryani occupies arid, mostly high-altitude mamane and mamane-naio woodland, whilst C. s. sandwichensis occurs in mesic habitats on western and south-western slopes, and C. s. ridgwayi is restricted to wet, eastern slopes. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.900 m.

Diet:
They forage on the foliage and in the ground, taking large insects and other arthropods.

Breeding:
Hawaii elepaios breed in January-August. They are monogamous and often mate for life. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a finely woven cup made of a wide variety of materials including grasses, bark strips, lichens and spider webs. It is placed in a fork or on a horizontal branch, often in mamane Sophora chrysophylla trees. The female lays 2 eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 17-19 days. The chicks are fed by both parent and fledge 15-16 days after hatching, but remain in ther parental territory for up to 10 months. Each pair can raise 1-2 broods per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a relatively small breeding range and a global population estimated at 216.000 individuals. The population is stable at high elevation, but declining at lower altitudes and in fact disappeared from some areas of the island. The decline is mostly caused by habitat degradation through heavy browsing by feral ungulates, as well as diseases, such as avian pox and malaria, which are spread by mosquitoes, and a problem at low and middle elevations. Conservation actions underway include unsuccessful attempts to remove goats and sheep from Mauna Kea, control of feral cats and habitat restoration and reforestation at mid and high elevations on Hawai`i. Fencing is underway on Mauna Kea to protect palila Loxioides bailleui critical habitat by excluding ungulates, which should benefit the Hawaii Elepaio.

Black-faced monarch

Monarcha melanopsis

Photo by Tony Morris (Flickr)

Common name:
black-faced monarch (en); monarca-de-face-negra (pt); monarque à face noire (fr); monarca carinegro (es); maskenmonarch (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae

Range:
This species breeds along the eastern coast of Australia, from northern Queensland to Victoria, and migrates north to winter in southern Papua-New Guinea. Some populations in northern Queensland are resident.

Size:
These birds are 18 cm long and weigh about 23 g.

Habitat:
The black-faced monarch is mostly found in rainforest, and also in nearby open eucalypt forests, especially in gullies with a dense understorey, as well as in dry sclerophyll forests and woodlands.

Diet:
They collect prey from the foliage, branches and crevices of trees and scrubs, taking various arthropods such as spiders, beetles, sawflies and wasps, grasshoppers, bugs, cicadas and lerps, moths and caterpillars, flies and dragonflies.

Breeding:
Black-faced monarchs breed in October-March. They nest among dense foliage and the female lays 2-3 eggs. The eggs are incubated 13-15 days and the chicks fledge 7-9 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is reported to be locally common in the north of its range and scarcer elsewhere. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Restless flycatcher

Myiagra inquieta

Photo by Lip Kee Yap (Wikipedia)

Common name:
restless flycatcher (en); monarca-inquieto (pt); monarque infatigable (fr); monarca inquieto (es); weißkehlmyiagra (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae

Range:
This species is found northern and eastern mainland Australia, as well as in south-western Australia. It is also found in southern Papua New Guinea.

Size:
These birds are 16-21 cm long and weigh about 20 g.

Habitat:
The restless flycatcher is found in open tropical and temperate forests, dry savannas, dry scrublands and rural gardens.

Diet:
They hawk insects, spiders and centipedes from perches in the mid-level of the canopy.

Breeding:
Restless flycatchers breed in July-March. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a small cup made of bark and grass bound with spider webs, camouflaged with pieces of lichen and bark, and placed in a exposed position on a tree branch, often near or over water. There the female lays 3-4 eggs which are incubated by both sexes for 14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 14 days after hatching. Each pair can raise up to 3 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be locally fairly common. The population is estimated to be in decline following local decreases and range contractions probably owing to intensive farming and habitat modification

African blue-flycatcher

Elminia longicauda

Photo by Steve Garvie (Flickr)

Common name:
African blue flycatcher (en); monarca-azul-africano (pt); elminie bleue (fr); elminia azul (es); türkiselminie (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae

Range:
This species is found in sub-Saharan Africa, from southern Senegal to South Sudan and south to northern Tanzania, D.R. Congo and northern Angola.

Size:
These birds are 13-15 cm long and weigh around 10 g.

Habitat:
The African blue flycatcher is mostly found in moist tropical forests, especially secondary forest, swampy or riverine forests. They are also found in dry savannas, scrublands, mangroves, rural gardens, arable land and cocoa plantations.

Diet:
They mainly feed on insects and other arthropods, which can be hawked or gleaned from the foliage.

Breeding:
African blue flycatchers are monogamous and nest in a compact cup placed in a fork in a low tree. There the female lays 1-2 white eggs which are incubated by the female alone. The chicks are fed by both parents. There is no information regarding the incubation and fledging periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the African blue flycatcher is described as uncommon to locally common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

African paradise-flycatcher

Terpsiphone viridis

Photo by Callie de Wet (Oiseaux)

Common name:
African paradise-flycatcher (en); monarca-africano (pt); tchitrec d'Afrique (fr); monarca colilargo africano (es); graubrust-paradiesschnäpper (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae


Range:
This species is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of the most arid parts of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.


Size:
These birds are 17 cm long, but the elongated tail streamers of adult males double this length. They weigh 12-14 g.


Habitat:
These birds are mostly found in dry savannas, but also in a wide range of other wooded habitats, scrublands, plantations, agricultural areas and gardens. they are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.500 m.


Diet:
They mainly eat invertebrates such as moth, termite alates, beetles, flies, mosquitoes, lacewings, mantids, cockroaches, grasshoppers, crickets, bugs, midges and ant alates. They occasionally also eat small berries.


Breeding:
African paradise-flycatchers can breed all year round, varying between the different parts of their range. In South Africa they breed in October-December. Both sexes build the nest, a small cup of twigs and bark held together with spider web and decorated with lichen. There the female lays 1-4 eggs which are incubated by both sexes for 11-19 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 10-16 days after hatching, but remain with their parents until the next clutch is laid.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, it is reported to be uncommon to abundant. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Asian paradise-flycatcher

Terpsiphone paradisi

Photo by Steve Garvie (Wikipedia)

Common name:
Asian paradise-flycatcher (en); monarca-asiático (pt); tchitrec de paradis (fr); monarca colilargo asiático (es); fahlbauch-paradiesschnäpper (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae


Range:
This species is found trhoughout south-eastern Asia, from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to north-eastern China and extreme south-eastern Russia, and south to Indonesia. the more northern population migrate south to winter within the southern parts of their range.


Size:
These birds are 19-22 cm long, plus 24-30 cm long tail streamers in adults. They weigh around 20 g.


Habitat:
They are mostly found in rainforests with dense undergrowth, but also in mangroves, temperate forests, moist scrublands, rural gardens, plantations and urban areas. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 3.100 m.


Diet:
These birds are insectivorous, hunting insects in flight amongst the forest understory.


Breeding:
Asian paradise-flycatchers breed in May-July. The nest is cone-shaped and built with fine roots, plant fibres and small leaves, compacted with spider webs. The nest is placed in a scrub or small tree, up to 3 m above the ground. The female lays 3-4 pinkish-white eggs, which  are incubated by both parents for 13-16 days. The chicks fledge 12-14 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and is described as generally common throughout this range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Melanesian flycatcher

Myiagra caledonica

Photo by Patrick Ingremeau (Oiseaux)

Common name:
Melanesian flycatcher (en); monarca-da-Melanésia (pt); monarque mélanésien (fr); miagra de Nueva Caledonia (es); hebridenmyiagra (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae


Range:
This species is found in New Caledonia, Vanuatu and on the island of Rennell, in the Solomon Islands.


Size:
These birds are 13-14 cm long and weigh 10-12 g.


Habitat:
The Melanesian flycatcher is found in moist forests, open woodlands, second growth, plantations and mangroves. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.100 m.


Diet:
Like other flycatcher, they mostly forage by sallying from the foliage to catches insects in flight, but will also eat other small arthropods and larvae.


Breeding:
Melanesian flycatchers breed in August-February. The nest is built by both sexes, consiting of a neat and compact cup, made of plant fibres, and decorated with lichens, fine chips of bark, and sometimes moss and spider webs. The nest is placed on an horizontal branch or in a fork in a tree, 2-10 m above the ground. The female lays 2-3 pale eggs with pale brown and grey spots, which are incubated by both sexes for 18 days. The chicks are brooded and fed by both parents and fledge 17-19 days after hatching. Each pair only raises a single brood per season.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a restricted breeding range, but it is described as quite common on New Caledonia and fairly common throughout the rest of its range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Tahiti monarch

Pomarea nigra

(Photo from Birdlife)

Common name:

Tahiti monarch (en); monarca-do-Taiti (pt); monarque de Tahiti (fr); monarca de Tahiti (es); Tahitimonarch (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Monarchidae

Range:

This species is endemic to the island of Tahiti, in French Polynesia. Even within the island it is restricted to just 4 lowland valleys.

Size:

The Tahiti monarch is 15 cm long and weighs 25 g.

Habitat:

They are found in tropical and subtropical forests dominated by mara Neonauclea forsteri, being present at altitudes of 80-400 m.

Diet:

They forage both in the canopy and the undergrowth of the forests, taking various insects.

Breeding:

Tahiti monarchs breed in October-February. They build a a cup-shaped nest made of moss and decorated with cobwebs, where the female lays a single egg. The egg is incubated for 15–17 days and the chicks fledge 3 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - CR (Critically Endangered)

This species has an extremely restricted breeding range and a global population of just 35-50 birds. Since 2004, the species has shown signs of recovery, with new pairs becoming established in abandoned territories, mostly thanks to the conservation measures that were put in place. The main threats to this species are the decline in habitat quality caused by the spread of invasive plant species, such as the African tulip tree Spathodea campanulata, but also the predation by introduced black rats Rattus rattus, and goat grazing is leading to habitat degradation in some areas. Predation by cats and swamp harrier Circus approximans and competition with other passerines may also have a negative impact on this species. Rat control around nests, using poison and tree bands, as well as some control of invasive plant species has had some success in preserving this species.

Satin flycatcher

Myiagra cyanoleuca

Photo by Lindsay Hansch (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:

satin flycatcher (en); monarca-acetinado (pt); monarque satiné (fr); monarca satinado (es); seidenmyiagra (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Monarchidae

Range:

The satin flycatcher is found breeding in eastern Australia, down to Tasmania, and in New Zealand. They migrate north to winter in northern Australia, Papua New-Guinea and Indonesia.

Size:

These birds are 15-18 cm long. They have a wingspan of 23 cm and a weight of 17 g.

Habitat:

Satin Flycatchers mainly inhabit eucalypt forests, often near wetlands or watercourses. They generally occur in the moister, taller forests. During migration they can also be found in coastal forests, woodlands, mangroves and drier woodlands and open forests.

Diet:

These birds are mainly insectivorous, preying on arthropods, mostly insects, although very occasionally they will also eat seeds. They are arboreal foragers, feeding high in the canopy and sub-canopy of trees, usually sallying for prey in the air or picking prey from foliage and branches of trees.

Breeding:

Satin flycatchers breed in September-March. They nest in loose colonies of 2-5 pairs nesting at intervals of about 20-50 m apart. Both sexes build the nest, a broad-based cup made of shredded bark and grass, coated with spider webs and decorated with lichen. The nest is placed on a bare, horizontal branch, with overhanging foliage, about 3-25 m above the ground. There the female lays 2-3 greenish blue eggs with brown spots. The eggs are incubated by both sexes for 17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 18 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range. Although the population size is yet to be quantified, the species is described as common in the south of its range, but scarce in the north. This population is estimated to be in decline following decreases owing to habitat loss and degradation.

Black-naped monarch

Hypothymis azurea

Photo by Eric Soo (Nature in Singapore)

Common name:

black-naped monarch (en); monarca-azul (pt); tchitrec azuré (fr); monarca nuquinegro (es); schwarzgenickschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Monarchidae

Range:

This Asian species is found from India and Sri Lanka in the west, across southern Asia to southern China and Indonesia, and the island groups of Hainan, Taiwan, Sundas, Philippines, Andamans, and Nicobars.

Size:

Black-naped monarchs are 16-18 cm long and weigh 10 g.

Habitat:

These birds are mostly found in thick forests and other well-wooded habitats, but also in scrubland and overgrown plantations. they are more common in the lowlands, but may be found up to an altitude of 1.300 m.

Diet:

These insectivores hunt a variety of small insects, including small crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, butterflies and moths, mostly by gleaning from foliage, but also by snatching from mid-air.

Breeding:

Black-naped monarchs breed in April-July. Both sexes build the nest, a deep cup woven of thin strips of bark, plant fibres, moss, and spider webs, wedged in the upright fork of a tree, often near the ground. There the female lays 2-4 creamy-white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 12-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 7-10 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the species is described as generally widespread and common throughout its range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Seychelles paradise-flycatcher

Terpsiphone corvina

Common name:

Seychelles paradise-flycatcher (en); monarca-das-Seychelles (pt); tchitrec des Seychelles (fr); monarca-colilargo de las Seychelles (es); Seychellen-paradiesschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Monarchidae

Range:

This species is endemic to the Seychelles archipelago, being mostly found in La Digue, but also in Marianne, Praslin and Félicité.

Size:

The males are considerably longer than females because of their long tail feathers. Males are 22-31 cm lon while female are 17-20 cm long.

Habitat:

This species depends on takamaka (Calophyllum inophyllum) and badamier (Terminalia catappa) woodland, particularly near marshy areas and water bodies.

Diet:

The Seychelles paradise-flycatcher is strictly insectivorous, gleaning insects and spiders from the leaves. Dragonflies, mosquitoes, grasshoppers and butterflies seem to form the bulk of their diet.

Breeding:

Breeding can occur all year round, although there appears to be a peak in activity in November-April. The oval bowl-shaped nest is built on branches and consists of twigs, palm fibre, and spider webs. The female lays just 1 white egg with reddish-brown spots. The egg is incubated for 17 days and the chicks fledge 14-15 days after hatching but continue to be fed by the parents for another 2 months.

Conservation:

IUCN status - CR (Critically endangered)

The Seychelles paradise-flycatcher has an extremely small breeding range and the global population in currently estimated at just 210-280 individuals. The species is mostly threatened by the alarming rates of habitat loss and fragmentation, due to tourism and private housing developments but also because of a wild disease affecting takamaka stands. Nest depredation by alien mammals is another significant threat. Conservation measures, namely habitat restoration, the protection of water quality in the wetlands and pest elimination has lead the population to recover from an historic minimum of 50-60 individuals in the 1980s and the current population trend seems to be stable.