Palau Flycatcher Myiagra erythrops Scientific name definitions

13–14 cm. Small, short-tailed flycatcher with erectile crest (raised when agitated). Male has forehead and forecrown rufous, rest of crown and upper mantle rather pale grey; mantle to rump dull brownish; wings and tail darker brown, feathers with narrow pale edges; rufous of forehead encompasses orange-tinted eyering and extends down to breast and sides of neck (much paler on throat), becoming paler on flanks and merging into whitish on belly and undertail-coverts; iris dark brown; bill and legs blue-grey and black. Female is smaller than male (wing 64–68 mm vs. 68–71 mm in male), with crown to hindneck browner, and rufous coloration somewhat paler. Immature resembles female, but typically has paler underparts, browner head and rump, and forehead, lores and orbital ring sandier (sometimes more rufous).

Sometimes considered conspecific with M. oceanica (which see), M. pluto and the extinct †M. freycineti; differs from all in its much shorter tail (effect size for males −4.27, score 2, vs freycineti; −7.76, score 3, vs oceanica; and −11.79, score 4, vs pluto); rufous vs grey or blackish frons (3); rufous-orange eyering (1 Pratt, H. D., P. L. Bruner, and D. G. Berrett (1987). A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ) vs none (3); dull mid-brown vs brownish-grey, grey or slaty mantle to rump (2); paler grey crown (ns[2]); and song from description (1 Pratt, H. D., P. L. Bruner, and D. G. Berrett (1987). A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ) entirely different and indeed found to possess smallest frequency range (score 3) with vocabulary largely distinct (at least 1) (2 Boesman, P. (2016). Notes on the vocalizations of Oceanic Flycatcher (Myiagra oceanica). HBW Alive Ornithological Note 192. In: Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Close ). This arrangement is supported by molecular evidence (3 Fabre, P.H., Moltensen, M., Fjeldså, J., Irestedt, M., Lessard, J.P. and Jønsson, K.A. (2014). Multiple waves of colonization by monarch flycatchers (Myiagra, Monarchidae) across the Indo-Pacific and their implications for coexistence and speciation. J. Biogeogr. 41(2): 274–286. Close , 4 Andersen, M. J., P. A. Hosner, C. E. Filardi, and R. G. Moyle (2015). Phylogeny of the monarch flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly and novel relationships within a major Australo-Pacific radiation. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 83:118–136. Close ). Monotypic.

Palau Is.

Song-like vocalizations  include a repeated series of 2–4 whistles at about even pitch, “pee-pee-pee” (note length 0·2–0·3 seconds, frequency between 3 and 4 kHz), and a very fast trilled series of flat-pitched whistles, “titititititititi”. Also emits a harsh grating note ending with a pure short syllable, this vocalization being shared with M. pluto and M. oceanica.

Very little information. Nest with sitting adult photographed in early Apr, a thick-walled small cup-shaped structure made from plant material and lichen, placed on small horizontal branch low in undergrowth.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). This species’ global population size has not been quantified, but it is common throughout the larger islands of Palau. Its numbers are believed to be stable, and it is not known to be facing any significant threats.