Melanesian Flycatcher

Myiagra caledonica

A small flycatcher. Male is glossy blue-black with a white belly and base of the undertail. Female resembles male but has a ruddy-red throat and chest and a white eye-ring. Found in most habitats up to 1100 meters of elevation, preferring forest edge and open woodland. Song is a loud “pseeoo psseeoo whit.” Call is a short harsh scolding chatter.

Identification

The species is 13 to 14 cm (5.1–5.5 in) long and weighs 10 to 12 g (0.35–0.42 oz). The plumage is sexually dimorphic.

Taxonomy

It is closely related to the Vanikoro flycatcher. Alternate names for the Melanesian flycatcher include broad-billed flycatcher, Caledonian flycatcher, Caledonian Myiagra flycatcher, Melanesian broadbill, Melanesian Myiagra, New Caledonian flycatcher and New Caledonian Myiagra flycatcher. The alternate name "broad-billed flycatcher" should not be confused with the species of the same name, Myiagra ruficollis.<p>Five subspecies are recognized:

Scientific name
Myiagra caledonica
Authority
Bonaparte, 1857
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Monarchidae
Genus
Myiagra

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Other Birds

Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Tringa glareola

Medium-sized brownish wader with a white belly, varied pale spotting and spangling on back. In flight shows plain upperwings, square white rump patch. Legs greenish yellow. Breeds in bogs and marshes in open coniferous and mixed forests. Migrants and wintering birds occur in varied wetland habitats, especially with grassy and other vegetation cover. Walks in shallow water, picking with its bill. Mainly found as singles or small flocks, not mixed with other species. Bobs tail when nervous, but not habitually like Common Sandpiper.

Slaty-legged Crake

Slaty-legged Crake

Rallina eurizonoides

Small, chickenlike dweller of dense forests and tangled edges. Dark brown above, with orange head and breast and black-and-white-striped sides. Juvenile similar but with brown head and breast, narrower white stripes below. Dark lead-gray legs distinguish this species from Red-legged, Band-bellied, and Ruddy-breasted crakes, which also show different underpart patterns. Sings at night from favored tree perches, a series of doubled hoots that recall Mountain Scops-Owl.

Black-and-white Triller

Black-and-white Triller

Lalage melanoleuca

A medium-sized bird of lowland and foothill forest canopy. Has a black tail with white corners, black wings with a large white patch, and a white rump. Male has a black crown and back and entirely white underparts. Females have a gray crown and back. Northern females have white underparts with a barred throat and chest, while southern females have a gray throat and chest with faint barring below. Similar to Pied Triller, but lacks the white brow and is found in forest rather than open habitats. Song consists of a 1- to 3-syllabled whistled phrase repeated 5-20 times in a row.

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