Chuuk Monarch
Metabolus rugensis
Medium-sized flycatcher-like bird with a long pointed bill. Male is bright white with a black face and throat. Female is entirely dark overall. Juvenile is rufous above and paler buff below. Endemic to the Chuuk Islands of Micronesia, where it primarily inhabits remnant upland native forest, extensive mangroves, and small forested atolls. Less frequently in degraded lowland forest. Favors areas with a dense understory, where it forages singly or in small groups, moving slowly through the foliage. Sparse and declining as a result of habitat loss. Gives low whistles and a nasal “jeer!”
Identification
The Chuuk monarch is a large monarch flycatcher, around 20 cm long. The plumage of this species is sexually dimorphic, with the male having almost entirely white plumage with a black face and throat and the female having entirely black plumage. The large bill is pale blue.
Taxonomy
The Chuuk monarch was originally described as belonging to the genus Muscicapa.
- Scientific name
- Metabolus rugensis
- Authority
- (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Monarchidae
- Genus
- Metabolus
Range and habitat
The natural habitats of the Chuuk monarch are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, and plantations.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Common Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybita
A very plain leaf warbler found in a variety of wooded and scrubby habitats, often near water. Best identified by voice: song is a slightly jerky double-noted chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff..., very different from song of the similar Willow Warbler. Relative to Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff is often duller, more brownish overall with weaker pale eyebrow, dark legs, and tends to habitually dip its tail. Also similar to Booted and Sykes’s Warbler, but these are browner toned with darkish legs and bill.
House Crow
Corvus splendens
A slender, blackish medium-sized crow with a long bill. The grayish nape and sides form a paler collar that contrasts with the glossy black body. Primarily a scavenger, feeding on leftover rubbish from humans. Found in a wide range of habitats mostly around human habitation. Their call is a loud and harsh “kaa kaa kaa.”
Tropical Boubou
Laniarius major
Robust black-and-white bushshrike. There is a pale cinnamon wash on the belly and a white stripe across the top of the wing. Found in dense microhabitats within forest, woodland, thickets, and gardens. Not particularly shy, but spends most of its time in dense cover, usually in pairs. Highly vocal bird with a variety of calls. The song is a synchronized duet of hollow hoots from the male and ratcheting calls from the female. Has a very similar color pattern to other boubous, but its underparts are paler than those of Southern Boubou and darker than those of Swamp Boubou. Has a white stripe on the wing, unlike Zanzibar Boubou.
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