Monarcha chrysomela
A small monarch with plumage strikingly black and golden-yellow. Male nominate race has upper forehead and crown orange or burnt-orange, nape, ear-coverts, neck side, scapulars, and lower back to uppertail-coverts deep golden-yellow, mantle and upper back and tail all black; upperwing black, wing-coverts golden, innermost tertial golden, other tertials with golden edges; lower forehead, lores, area around eye and chin to centre of breast black, except for small whitish subocular patch; underparts golden-yellow; iris dark; bill slate-bluish or blue-gray, tip dark; legs dark grey or black. Female is mostly drab olive-yellow, with distinctive whitish subocular spot, slightly darker olive wings and tail, more orange-tinged on underparts. Juvenile is very similar to female, but has blackish bill with yellowish base of lower mandible. Races vary mainly in intensity of plumage coloration: melanonotus is similar to nominate but more extensively black on back; kordensis is similar to previous, but with somewhat more extensive black on throat and narrowly around eyes; aurantiacus similar to melanonotus but deeper yellow; aruensis has crown richer orange than others; pulcherrimus male has yellow back, female has lighter upperparts with forehead, head side and rump bright yellow; nitidus has upperparts tinged olive except for brighter yellow uppertail-coverts, flight-feathers edged greyish, tail edged olive, chin greyish, side of throat barred finely with white, underparts lemon-yellow; whiteneyorum is slightly larger, has less orange on crown, yellower on scapulars, rump, tertials and underparts, female more greenish-yellow with crown and upperparts darker greenish-olive; tabarensis has yellow areas much richer, lacks deep orange on crown, female is generally more green than previous and has no yellow on forehead and lores.
A small monarch with plumage strikingly black and golden-yellow. Male nominate race has upper forehead and crown orange or burnt-orange, nape, ear-coverts, neck side, scapulars, and lower back to uppertail-coverts deep golden-yellow, mantle and upper back and tail all black; upperwing black, wing-coverts golden, innermost tertial golden, other tertials with golden edges; lower forehead, lores, area around eye and chin to centre of breast black, except for small whitish subocular patch; underparts golden-yellow; iris dark; bill slate-bluish or blue-gray, tip dark; legs dark grey or black. Female is mostly drab olive-yellow, with distinctive whitish subocular spot, slightly darker olive wings and tail, more orange-tinged on underparts. Juvenile is very similar to female, but has blackish bill with yellowish base of lower mandible. Races vary mainly in intensity of plumage coloration: melanonotus is similar to nominate but more extensively black on back; kordensis is similar to previous, but with somewhat more extensive black on throat and narrowly around eyes; aurantiacus similar to melanonotus but deeper yellow; aruensis has crown richer orange than others; pulcherrimus male has yellow back, female has lighter upperparts with forehead, head side and rump bright yellow; nitidus has upperparts tinged olive except for brighter yellow uppertail-coverts, flight-feathers edged greyish, tail edged olive, chin greyish, side of throat barred finely with white, underparts lemon-yellow; whiteneyorum is slightly larger, has less orange on crown, yellower on scapulars, rump, tertials and underparts, female more greenish-yellow with crown and upperparts darker greenish-olive; tabarensis has yellow areas much richer, lacks deep orange on crown, female is generally more green than previous and has no yellow on forehead and lores.
12.5 – 14 cm; 13 – 15.5 g
Taxonomy: Muscicapa chrysomela Garnot, 1827, New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago. Geographical variation largely clinal. Nine subspecies recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * melanonotus P. L. Sclater, 1877 - W Papuan Is (Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, Misool) and NW New Guinea (Vogelkop). * kordensis A. B. Meyer, 1874 - Biak I (in Geelvink Bay), in NW New Guinea. * aruensis Salvadori, 1874 - Aru Is, off SW New Guinea.
Forest, including monsoon forest, hill forest and gallery forest, usually along edges, clearings and treefall areas; sea-level to 750 m, locally to 1260 m in New Guinea and to 1400 m on New Ireland.
Resident.
Food largely small invertebrates, including grasshoppers (Orthoptera). Solitary, in pairs and within mixed-species foraging flocks, usually with other monarchids and warbler-like species, particularly Yellow-bellied Gerygone (Gerygone chrysogaster) and Wallace's Fairy-wren (Sipodotus wallacii). Active and constantly on the move. Forages mostly by gleaning among canopy and outer-edge leaves, but also in lower growth areas at edges and along forest breaks; hovers, and pursues, insects in flight. Raises crown feathers and flicks tail when excited or alarmed; often tame and approachable.
Season May – Dec. Territorial. Displaying male perches on horizontal branch close to female, lowers head towards branch, with neck feathers erected, and flicks tail up and down; after short pause, lifts and then lowers head and repeats display before moving to another branch. Nest built by both sexes, cup-shaped, placed up to 15 m from ground on horizontal branch in crown of small tree.