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Monarchidae
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Symposiachrus
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White-tailed Monarch Symposiachrus leucurus Scientific name definitions

Peter Clement
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 8, 2020

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

15–16 cm. A small to medium-sized, strikingly black-and-white monarch. Entire head and upperparts, including upperwing, are glossy bluish-black; central tail feathers black, all outer rectrices white; underparts from breast side white; iris dark; bill pale grey to slate-grey; legs ash-grey to dark grey. Sexes alike. Juvenile is mostly ash-brown on upperparts, with greyer head and face to chin and throat, tail pattern similar to adult but central feathers browner, lower breast, belly and flanks orange-rufous, centre of belly often whitish.

Systematics History

Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

Kai Is (Kai Kecil, Kai Besar, Baer), S of W New Guinea.

Habitat

Woodland, from lowland primary and secondary forest and coastal, monsoon and hill forest to woodland on edges of cultivation; sea-level to 625 m.

Movement

Resident.

Diet and Foraging

Food mainly small invertebrates. Solitary or in pairs, also in mixed-species flocks. Forages within foliage at around middle-storey level, gleaning insect prey from leaves. Flicks tail when agitated or alarmed.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

A series of up to 4 clear, descending but drawn-out and high-pitched whistles; also a series of staccato and slightly musical, harsh chattering notes repeated several times, and a series of low, harsh rasping or scolding double-notes.

Breeding

No information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife NT Near Threatened
Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near-threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Banda Sea Islands EBA. Common or very common, and found in all woodland habitats within its range. Considered to be potentially at risk owing to forest loss within its very small range.
Distribution of the White-tailed Monarch - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the White-tailed Monarch

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Clement, P. (2020). White-tailed Monarch (Symposiachrus leucurus), 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.whtmon1.01
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