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Tinian Monarch Monarcha takatsukasae Scientific name definitions

Peter Clement
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 13, 2020

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

15 cm. Forehead and crown to mantle, back and scapulars are dull greyish-brown, rump and uppertail-coverts white; upperwing and tail darker or blackish, median and greater upperwing-coverts with white tips (forming wingbars), white tips on all outer tail feathers; pale eyering, face otherwise pale or buffish-tan, this colour extending to most of underparts except for paler chin and whitish undertail; iris dark; bill steel-blue; legs dark grey or blackish. Sexes alike; female retains dark bill tip of immature plumage for longer than does male. Juvenile is very similar to adult but generally duller brown, with dark upper mandible and yellow lower mandible.

Systematics History

Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

Tinian I, in S Northern Mariana Is.

Habitat

Forest and all woodland and brush areas, including swamp-woodland, as well as introduced tangan-tangan (Leucaena leucoce­phala) thickets.

Movement

Resident.

Diet and Foraging

Food mostly small invertebrates. Solitary, in pairs or in small groups with Rufous Fantails (Rhipidura rufifrons). Forages mostly within foliage and dense thickets, from where also makes dashing sallies after passing insects; also hovers on outer edge of foliage. Spends long periods perched erect on exposed or open branch, watching for insect prey.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song, seemingly mostly in evening, a short whistled “tee-tee-wheeeooo” of 2 or 3 notes. Calls include low rasping or scolding note and a toy-like but explosive “squeak-it”.

Breeding

Eggs found in Jan and nestings in Aug. Three nests described, a deep cup made of dead leaves, plant fibres, moss and wool, one with some feathers and grasses, c. 1–1·5 m up in vertical fork or crotch of tree. Clutch 2 or 3 eggs, white with tiny red-brown spots, mostly at larger end, 18–21 × 15 mm. No other information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife NT Near Threatened

VULNERABLE. Restricted-range species: present in Mariana Islands EBA. Common and widespread. Total population estimated at c. 55,000 individuals in 1996, in all suitable habitats; average density 500 birds/km². Considered to be threatened owing to its tiny gobal range, and exposure to inclement and frequently violent tropical storms; also the possibility of accidental introduction and establishment of brown tree-snake (Boiga irregularis), which could result in a rapid reduction in the population. Snakes feared to be already established on neighbouring island of Saipan.

Distribution of the Tinian Monarch - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Tinian Monarch

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Clement, P. (2020). Tinian Monarch (Monarcha takatsukasae), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.tinmon1.01
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