Ogea Monarch Mayrornis versicolor Scientific name definitions

Fiji: Ogea Levu, Ogea Driki and Dakuiyanuya (S Lau Is).

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near Threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Fiji EBA. Has extremely small range (18 km²), but population healthy and no evidence of decline at present. Estimated 2000 individuals in 1986; in 2004, five individuals seen in four hours, with one sighting of a pair, and described as uncommon and inconspicuous. Surveys of Ogea Levu and Ogea Driki in July 2011 recorded 49 individuals, equivalent to a density of 192·2 birds / km² BirdLife International (2016) Species factsheet: Mayrornis versicolor. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 14/04/2016. , which is almost double the 106·8 birds / km² encountered in 1986 (2 Watling, D. (1988). Notes on the status and ecology of the Ogea Flycatcher Mayrornis versicolor. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 108: 103-112. Close ), suggesting that the population is stable or increasing; crude extrapolation from these puts the population at 3204 birds, or 1300–2000 mature individuals BirdLife International (2016) Species factsheet: Mayrornis versicolor. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 14/04/2016. . Removal of old-growth forest may lead to increase in numbers, as it appears to prefer secondary habitat. Feral cats (Felis domesticus) are potential predators, being quite common in forest. Interbreeding with M. lessoni does not appear to be significant threat. A possible translocation site, Vulaga I, has been identified (M. lessoni does not occur there) in case a critical situation arises on Ogea Levu. Protected by Fijian law. Suggestions made to raise public awareness of the species by making it the figurehead for conservation on Ogea Levu. Imposition of stringent quarantine measures needed in order to prevent establishment of exotic predators. Formerly considered Vulnerable, new data on population size and trends triggered downlisting to Near Threatened in 2015.