Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea Scientific name definitions

15–17 cm; 8–17 g (Philippines) (1 Ripley, S. D., and D. S. Rabor (1958). Notes on a collection of birds from Mindoro Island, Philippines. Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, Bulletin 13:1–83. Close ), 10·2–13·7 g (Peninsular Malaysia) (2 Wells, D.R. (2007). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Vol. 2. Passerines. A. & C. Black, London. Close ). Male nominate race has predominantly azure-blue plumage, somewhat darker on back, with black feathering at base of bill, black nuchal tuft, narrow black band across upper breast, whitish belly and vent; iris dark brown, eye wattle (grayish) cobalt-blue; bill blue with black tip, mouth apple-green; legs grayish to purplish blue, soles yellow. Female is like male, but blue duller and restricted mainly to head, black nape patch and breastband lacking, upperparts brownish gray, breast light blue-gray. Juvenile is similar to female, but has gray iris (2 Wells, D.R. (2007). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Vol. 2. Passerines. A. & C. Black, London. Close ). Subspecies differ mainly in shade of blue, extension of blue onto belly, and prominence of black nuchal tuft and breastband.

Until recently considered conspecific with H. puella (which see). Races aeria and abbotti distinctive owing to their lack of a black nuchal patch, latter also virtually lacking the black breastbar, thus both tending to resemble H. puella (3 Rand, A.L. (1970). Species formation in the blue monarch flycatchers genus Hypothymis. Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc. 23: 353–365. Close ); retained as races of present species (4 Stresemann, E. and Heinrich, G. (1940). Die Vögel von Celebes. Part 3 (Passeres). Systematik und Biologie. J. Orn. 88(1): 1–135. In German. Close ), but research needed to determine whether one or both may be better treated as separate species. On W Sumatran islands, at least consobrina and abbotti said to have unique, highly distinctive vocalizations, abbotti in addition being much larger than all other races, these two possibly warranting treatment as one or two separate species (5 Eaton, J. A., B. van Balen, N. W. Brickle, and F. E. Rheindt (2016). Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ); further study needed. Race catarmanensis previously grouped with H. puella, but it belongs with present species; it is, however, distinctive in that females have mainly masculine plumage characters (6 Rand, A. L., and D. S. Rabor (1969). New birds from Camiguin South, Philippines. Fieldiana Zoology 51(13):157–168. Close ) (in an echo of Loriculus philippensis camiguinensis from the same island). Forms penidae and javana sometimes included in symmixta (7 Dickinson, E. C., and L. Christidis, Editors (2014). The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Fourth Edition. Volume 2. Aves Press, Eastbourne, UK. Close ). Twenty-three subspecies recognized.

• Black-naped Monarch x Blyth's Paradise-Flycatcher (hybrid) Hypothymis azurea x Terpsiphone affinis

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Broadleaf evergreen forest, semi-evergreen forest, deciduous forest and peatswamp-forest; well-wooded areas, secondary growth, overgrown plantations (e.g. rubber and Albizia) (9 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ), island forest. Favours bamboo. In drier areas prefers heavy foliage, usually along streams. Sea-level to 1100 m in Bhutan (10 Spierenburg, P. (2005). Birds in Bhutan: Status and Distribution. Oriental Bird Club, Bedford, UK. Close ), 915 m in Peninsular Malaysia (2 Wells, D.R. (2007). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Vol. 2. Passerines. A. & C. Black, London. Close ), c. 1500 m in Philippines, 1220 m on Borneo (9 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ), and to 900 m on Flores (11 Reeve, A. H. and S. Rabenak (2016). New distributional information for the birds of Flores, Indonesia, including new localities for the Endangered Flores Scops Owl Otus alfredi. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 136(1):3–13. Close ) and Lembata (12 Trainor, C.R. (2003). The birds of Lembata (Lomblen), Lesser Sundas. Kukila 12:39–53. Close ).

Resident in most of range, subject to relatively local movements. More widespread in winter in Indian Subcontinent, with some birds reaching higher elevations during pre-breeding period (10 Spierenburg, P. (2005). Birds in Bhutan: Status and Distribution. Oriental Bird Club, Bedford, UK. Close ) and stragglers reach E Pakistan (isolated nest record from Karachi) and even S Iran (Feb 2011) (13 Alieslam, A. (2014). First record for Iran of Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea, near Jask city, Hormozgan province. Sandgrouse. 36(1): 61–62. Close ); in NW India, there is a recent record of breeding from Rajasthan (14 Sangha, H.S. and Bhardwaj, G.S. (2008). First nesting record of Black-naped Monarch-Flycatcher Hypothymis azurea in Rajasthan, India. Indian Birds. 4(1): 20. Close ). Winter influx to S Myanmar and C, NE & SE Thailand; uncommon on passage in NE Vietnam (E Tonkin). In S China some overwinter in breeding range, many migrate S and E (to Guanxi, Guangdong and Hong Kong).

Insects, including small butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) and grasshoppers (Orthoptera), also small beetles (Coleoptera) and bugs (Hemiptera); at one nest, in India, chicks appeared to be fed large numbers of spiders (14 Sangha, H.S. and Bhardwaj, G.S. (2008). First nesting record of Black-naped Monarch-Flycatcher Hypothymis azurea in Rajasthan, India. Indian Birds. 4(1): 20. Close ). Captures flying insects by making aerial sorties from perch ; also hovers in front of leaves to disturb insects, and moves actively through foliage and branches. Leaf-gleaning more common than snatching for prey. Occasionally descends to ground to forage. Large prey items held under foot and torn to pieces before swallowing. Singly or in pairs, occasionally in family groups; regularly joins mixed foraging flocks in Sri Lanka, but less frequently in some other parts of range (e.g. Peninsular Malaysia) (2 Wells, D.R. (2007). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Vol. 2. Passerines. A. & C. Black, London. Close ). Often found in canopy, but also in bushes in understorey. Active, always on the move, wings held drooped and tail partly fanned and cocked, like a Rhipidura fantail but to lesser degree.

Song a monotonous, clear ringing “wii-wii-wii-wii-wii-wii”, c. 3 notes per second. Calls consist of a loud series of three or more clear whistles, “wheet-wheet-wheet” or “treet-treet-treet”, or shorter, more harsh “shweb-shweb” or “chew-wi”. Songs of races abbotti and consobrina (both from small islands off Sumatra) comprise distinctive grasshopper-like trills that consist of 3–10 monotonous, high-pitched rattling, metallic notes, e.g. “tit’tit’tit...”, at rate of ten notes/second, and regularly repeated, or alternatively 4–10 clear ringing “whit-whit-whit...” notes at rate of c. 4/second. Call notes of race abbotti involve harsh, scolding upslurred “whet” or “whet-whet” call notes.

Season Mar–Sept in India, Mar–Aug in SE Asia (e.g. Peninsular Malaysia) (2 Wells, D.R. (2007). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Vol. 2. Passerines. A. & C. Black, London. Close ), late Apr to late Jul in Taiwan, and Mar–Jun and Sept in Philippines; Mar–Jun, also nestbuilding in Jul and Aug, in Borneo, with other evidence of breeding in Feb (9 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ); and Apr–Nov on Flores (15 Mees, G. F. (2006). The avifauna of Flores (Lesser Sunda Islands). Zoologische Mededeelingen Leiden 80(3):1–261. Close ); sometimes two broods. Monogamous, pair-bond lasts all year. Nest neat, cup-shaped (38–44 mm in diameter and 32–38 mm deep) (2 Wells, D.R. (2007). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Vol. 2. Passerines. A. & C. Black, London. Close ), firmly constructed (probably mainly by female, although male brings material) (2 Wells, D.R. (2007). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Vol. 2. Passerines. A. & C. Black, London. Close ) of twigs (moss in Philippines), plastered with cobweb and spider egg cases, lined with fine roots and fibres, sometimes untidy material dangling below; usually placed in fork of tree branch, bush, large plant or bamboo, 0·5–12 m above ground (2 Wells, D.R. (2007). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Vol. 2. Passerines. A. & C. Black, London. Close ), mostly in understorey (within 2–3 m of ground) (2 Wells, D.R. (2007). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Vol. 2. Passerines. A. & C. Black, London. Close ). Clutch 2–4 eggs, creamy-coloured to pinkish white, blotched and spotted lilac or light red to reddish brown, some large underlying grey spots chiefly at larger end, size 19 mm × 13 mm (one prophata, Borneo), mean 17·4 mm × 13·3 mm (styani), 17·2 × 13·2 mm (ceylonensis) and 17–18 mm × 12·6–14·1 mm (symmixta) (15 Mees, G. F. (2006). The avifauna of Flores (Lesser Sunda Islands). Zoologische Mededeelingen Leiden 80(3):1–261. Close ); incubation by both adults, period 14 days; both also brood and feed chicks , female doing more of the work, nestling period c. 10 days; young remain with parents for 40–60 days after leaving nest. Longevity up to 7·5 years (2 Wells, D.R. (2007). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Vol. 2. Passerines. A. & C. Black, London. Close ).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Generally widespread and common throughout its huge range, and readily accepts non-primary habitats, e.g. is almost as numerous in early secondary growth as in old-growth forest on Palawan (Philippines) (16 Mallari, N. A. D., N. J. Collar, D. C. Lee, P. J. K. McGowan, R. Wilkinson, and S. J. Marsden (2011). Population densities of understorey birds across a habitat gradient in Palawan, Philippines: implications for conservation. Oryx 45(2):234–242. Close ). Global population not quantified but presumably very large, e.g. population in Taiwan alone (race oberholseri) has been estimated at c. 10,000–100,000 breeding pairs (17 Brazil, M. (2009). Field Guide to the Birds of East Asia: Eastern China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Eastern Russia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Occurs in numerous national parks and other protected areas.