Vanikoro Flycatcher

Identificazione

The Vanikoro flycatcher is a small passerine, 13 cm long and weighing around 13 g. It has a large, slightly hooked black bill and black legs. The plumage varies between the sexes; the male has dark blue-black plumage over the head and throat, back, tail and wings, and a washed out red belly with a white rump. The pattern for the female is similar, but paler overall (orange instead of red, slate grey instead of dark blue) and with the orange of the belly also coming up the throat as far as the bill. There is some variation based on subspecies; the female of the race dorsalis of the northern Lau Group has a white throat, whereas the male of kandavensis has much richer orange underparts. The juvenile birds resemble females but also have white scalloping on the wings.

Tassonomia

The Vanikoro flycatcher was described by the French zoologists Jean Quoy and Joseph Gaimard in 1832 from a specimen collected on the island of Vanikoro in the Solomon Islands. They coined the binomial name, Platyrhynshos vanikorensis. It is closely related to the insular Melanesian flycatcher, Samoan flycatcher, Makira flycatcher and Solomon flycatcher, as well as the Australian leaden flycatcher. The Vanikoro flycatcher was originally described in the genus Platyrhynchos. This species should not be confused with the similarly named Vanikoro monarch which also uses Vanikoro flycatcher as an alternate name. Alternate names for the Vanikoro flycatcher include the red-bellied flycatcher, Vanikoro broadbill, Vanikoro myiagra and Vanikoro myiagra flycatcher.<p>Five subspecies are recognized:

Nome scientifico

Myiagra vanikorensis

Autorità

(Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)

Ordine

Passeriformi

Famiglia

Monarchidae

Genere

Myiagra

Areale e habitat

The Vanikoro flycatcher is capable of living in a wide variety of habitats. It naturally occurs in forest and forest edge habitats from sea level up to 1100 m, but has also adapted to living in disturbed human altered habitats, including gardens and cultivated areas, so long as a few trees survive. The species is insectivorous, taking a variety of insects by sallying from perches and snatching them in the air or from the undersides of leaves. In addition to insects Vanikoro flycatchers will also eat lizards and small fruits. Individuals, pairs or even small groups forage in the canopy in undisturbed forest but will use other areas in disturbed areas; they will forage around buildings are highly inquisitive.

Migrazione

Specie stanziale

Comportamento

Comportamento migratorio: Specie stanziale.

Conservazione

Tendenza della popolazione: stabile.

Tendenza della popolazione

stabile