Myiagra cervinicauda
The Makira Flycatcher, *Myiagra cervinicauda*, is a striking passerine bird endemic to Makira Island in the Solomon Islands, distinguished by pronounced sexual dimorphism. Males boast a resplendent, glossy blue-black plumage across their upperparts, head, throat, and breast, contrasting sharply with a pure white belly and distinctive chestnut undertail-coverts and vent. Females, in contrast, present a more subdued but equally attractive olive-brown on their upperparts, complemented by a rufou...
Found primarily in primary and mature secondary lowland forest, forest edges, and dense undergrowth on Makira Island, typically from sea level up to 700 meters elevation.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on various small flying insects and spiders, which it catches both in mid-air and by gleaning from leaves and branches.
The Makira Flycatcher is an active and restless arboreal species, typically observed alone or in pairs, navigating the lower to mid-canopy strata of its forested habitat. It is a diurnal hunter, employing both aerial hawking and gleaning techniques to capture insects from foliage and branches. Du...
The Makira Flycatcher is strictly endemic to Makira Island (formerly San Cristobal) in the Solomon Islands archipelago. Its distribution spans across suitable forested habitats throughout the island, from coastal lowlands up to elevations of approximately 700 meters above sea level. This species ...
Near Threatened
- The name 'cervinicauda' literally translates to 'chestnut-tailed' from Latin, a direct reference to the male's distinctive undertail coloration. - It is one of many 'monarch flycatchers' (genus Myiagra) found across Australasia, each with unique island-specific adaptations. - The Makira Flycatc...