Spectacled Monarch Symposiachrus trivirgatus Scientific name definitions

14–16 cm; 9–16 g. A medium-sized flycatcher with black face, rufous breast, grey wings and black-and-white tail. Male nominate race has black on forehead, across cheek to ear-coverts, chin and throat; crown and most of upperparts grey or bluish-grey, flight-feathers browner, tail mostly black, extensive white tips (to half feather length) on outer rectrices (seen from below, closed tail mostly white at tip); side of throat, neck and breast orange-rufous, becoming white on belly; iris dark; bill dark blue or pearly grey; legs grey to blackish-grey. Female is very like male, but duller. Juvenile lacks black on face, has whitish lores and cheek spot, with ear-coverts darker grey than rest of head, white tips on forehead and throat, underparts duller rusty-orange than adult, white in tail duller or more buffish; bill blue-grey or dark grey with dark tip. Races vary mainly in colour of median and greater upperwing-coverts and tips of rectrices: nigrimentum is as nominate but with less white in tail; diadematus has black forehead, but forecrown variably white or orange-rufous, underparts largely white with orange-rufous on cheeks and lower ear-coverts, female similar but with rufous on throat; <em>bimaculatus</em> male has black on wing-coverts and largely white underparts, female rufous on throat; melanopterus is paler and duller, has more black on throat, whitish rear edge of black ear-coverts, black wing-coverts; albiventris is similar to nominate, with grey median coverts, but has shorter white tips on rectrices, orange-rufous on breast sharply demarcated from white below; melanorrhous differs from previous in having deeper grey upperparts and blackish uppertail-coverts, and variable amount of rufous extending across breast to belly and flanks; <em>gouldii</em> is very like last but somewhat paler, although many barely distinguishable.

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Mostly dense primary and secondary tropical and subtropical forest, wooded gulleys and adjacent scrub. In N Australia, races albiventris and melanorrhous occur in rainforest; gouldii more widely in wet sclerophyll forest and occasionally in adjacent eucalypt (Eucalyptus) forest, also mangroves, parks and gardens. From sea-level to c. 300 m on Timor, 400 m on Atauro I, 450 m on Halmahera, to 800 m on Seram (where largely absent from coastal areas), c. 930 m on Sumba and 1200 m on Alor. Nominate race previously known on Flores only up to 400 m in forests in W, recently found at 750–850 m in C & E parts of island.

Resident in most of range. Partly migratory in Australia, but movements not well known. Present throughout year in Cape York and Atherton regions; race gouldii a summer migrant in SE Queensland and NE New South Wales late Sept/Oct to late Mar/May. Also a non-breeding migrant (mostly immatures) in SE New Guinea (Trans-Fly region) from May to Oct, but small numbers present throughout year; passage migrant through islands in Torres Strait. Recently fledged young roam widely, dispersing from natal area before migrating to non-breeding areas, leaving 2–3 weeks after adults. Migrating flocks in Oct described as very active and crossing open areas of water, recorded on islets up to 65 km off coast of Queensland. Vagrant in Australia in Northern Territory, S New South Wales and Victoria.

Food mostly small invertebrates , including ants (Hymenoptera), termites (Isoptera), beetles (Coleoptera), cockroaches (Blattodea), spiders (Araneae), moths (Lepidoptera), dipterans and orthopterans, also small snails. Solitary or in pairs, and in mixed-species foraging flocks; in E Australia frequently with Grey (Rhipidura fuliginosa) and Rufous Fantails (Rhipidura rufifrons), and on passage with Monarcha melanopsis and Carterornis leucotis. Forages actively in lower and middle strata of forest trees, occasionally in upper canopy (more rarely in Australia) and on ground. Forages mostly by gleaning in foliage, especially in vines, creepers and behind loose bark; also flutters over foliage to displace insect prey, and hovers and pursues insects in flight. Tail often fanned.

Song in N Australia a series of up to 12 upslurred loud whistles, “zweeei-zweeei-zweeei…”, also harsh buzzing “gzzhhh” repeated several times and chattering notes, often concluding with upslurred whistle; also a nasal rattling call. Contact call between partners a plaintive drawn-out “phew-weee” repeated several times. Race bimaculatus gives a series of rapid, rasping, slightly nasal and disyllabic notes, often combined with thin, soft, quavering or descending whistle; diadematus has a short, husky “shuk” followed by wheezing whistled “tut-tut-tut-tut-tut-tut-toooo”; nominate race a series of unmusical, staccato, rasping notes, including harsh, churring “prrrrt” and a more melodious “whit”.

Season mainly Sept–Feb/Mar; fledglings seen in Jul and Aug on Sumba. Territorial, male vigorously defends territory against rivals. Contact between partners marked by ritualized posturing and fluffing-out of body feathers. Nest-site selected by female, nest built by both members of pair, mostly cup-shaped, conical and made of fine bark strips, plant fibres, grasses, dry leaves, plant down (from seed pods), moss, lichens and gossamer, placed up to 6 m above ground in vertical fork of shrub, tree, bamboo, sapling or hanging vine. Clutch 2 eggs, rarely 3, creamy to pinkish-white, with reddish to dull purple spots or blotches, mean 20·4 × 14·5 mm (race albiventris), 21·3 × 15·7 mm (gouldii); incubation period 15–18 days; chicks fed by both parents, nestling period 17–20 days; fledglings fed by both parents for up to 6 weeks. Nests parasitized by Shining Bronze-cuckoo (Chalcites lucidus) and Brush Cuckoo (Cacomantis variolosus). Breeding success: of nine eggs in five nests, four hatched and produced two fledglings (average 0·40 fledged young per nest); of seven nests, two fledged at least one young and five failed; in areas near houses, young frequently taken by black rat (Rattus rattus). In ringing studies in Cape York Peninsula, longevity at least 12 years.

Not globally threatened. Fairly common to common in most of range; uncommon on Flores, on Atauro I, in E Timor and in New Guinea. In Australia, common in humid areas of NE Queensland; densities in New South Wales (in two areas near Coffs harbour) ranged from 0·33–0·55 birds/ha to 0·11–0·24 birds/ha.