Vanikoro Flycatcher
Encyclopedia
The Vanikoro Flycatcher, Myiagra vanikorensis is a species of monarch flycatcher in the family
Monarchidae. It has a slightly disjunct distribution, occurring in Santa Cruz Islands
(or Vanikoro, hence its common and specific name) in the southern Solomon Islands
and the islands of Fiji
. It is closely related to the insular Melanesian Flycatcher
, Samoan Flycatcher
, Makira Flycatcher and Solomon Flycatcher, as well as the Australia
n Leaden Flycatcher
. There are five subspecies, listed below.
The Vanikoro Flycatcher is a small passerine, 13 cm long and weighing around 13 g. It has a large, slightly hooked black bill and black legs. The plumage
varies
between the sexes; the male has dark blue-black plumage over the head and throat, back, tail and wings, and a washed out red belly with a white rump. The pattern for the female is similar, but paler overall (orange instead of red, slate grey instead of dark blue) and with the orange of the belly also coming up the throat as far as the bill. There is some variation based on subspecies; the female of the race dorsalis of the northern Lau Group has a white throat, whereas the male of kandavensis has much richer orange underparts. The juvenile birds resemble females but also have white scalloping on the wings.
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The Vanikoro Flycatcher is capable of living in a wide variety of habitats. It naturally occurs in forest and forest edge habitats from sea level up to 1100 m, but has also adapted to living in disturbed human altered habitats, including gardens and cultivated areas, so long as a few trees survive. The species is insectivorous, taking a variety of insects by sallying
from perches and snatching them in the air or from the undersides of leaves. In addition to insects Vanikoro Flycatchers will also eat lizards and small fruits. Individuals, pairs or even small groups forage in the canopy in undisturbed forest but will use other areas in disturbed areas; they will forage around buildings are highly inquisitive.
In Fiji the Vanikoro Flycatcher breeds from September to February. The nest
is a small cup of plant fibres, grass stems and roots, decorated on the outside with lichen and leaves and lined with animal hair. The nest is placed high in a tree on a horizontal branch. nest construction is undertaken by both sexes, as in incubation
and chick rearing. The clutch of pinkish-white freckled eggs usually numbers 1-2. Predators, like the Fiji Goshawk
and the local race of the Peregrine Falcon
, are aggressively mobbed.
The Vanikoro flycatcher is not considered threatened by the IUCN, and is listed as least Concern
. It remains common across most of Fiji, and is tolerant of human changes to the environment.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Monarchidae. It has a slightly disjunct distribution, occurring in Santa Cruz Islands
Santa Cruz Islands
The Santa Cruz Islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands. They lie approximately 250 miles to the southeast of the Solomon Islands Chain...
(or Vanikoro, hence its common and specific name) in the southern Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
and the islands of Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
. It is closely related to the insular Melanesian Flycatcher
Melanesian Flycatcher
The Melanesian Flycatcher is a species of bird in the monarch-flycatcher family Monarchidae. The species is sometimes known as the New Caledonian Flycatcher. The species is found in New Caledonia,, Vanuatu and Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands. The species is closely related to a number of...
, Samoan Flycatcher
Samoan Flycatcher
The Samoan Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Monarchidae family.It is endemic to Samoa.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, and rural gardens....
, Makira Flycatcher and Solomon Flycatcher, as well as the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Leaden Flycatcher
Leaden Flycatcher
The Leaden Flycatcher is a species of passerine bird in the family Monarchidae. Around 15 cm in length, the male is a shiny lead-grey with white underparts, while the female has grey upperparts and a rufous throat and breast. It is found in eastern and northern Australia, Indonesia, and...
. There are five subspecies, listed below.
The Vanikoro Flycatcher is a small passerine, 13 cm long and weighing around 13 g. It has a large, slightly hooked black bill and black legs. The plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
varies
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
between the sexes; the male has dark blue-black plumage over the head and throat, back, tail and wings, and a washed out red belly with a white rump. The pattern for the female is similar, but paler overall (orange instead of red, slate grey instead of dark blue) and with the orange of the belly also coming up the throat as far as the bill. There is some variation based on subspecies; the female of the race dorsalis of the northern Lau Group has a white throat, whereas the male of kandavensis has much richer orange underparts. The juvenile birds resemble females but also have white scalloping on the wings.
Hawking (birds)
Hawking is a feeding strategy in birds involving catching flying insects in the air. The term usually refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch...
from perches and snatching them in the air or from the undersides of leaves. In addition to insects Vanikoro Flycatchers will also eat lizards and small fruits. Individuals, pairs or even small groups forage in the canopy in undisturbed forest but will use other areas in disturbed areas; they will forage around buildings are highly inquisitive.
In Fiji the Vanikoro Flycatcher breeds from September to February. The nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
is a small cup of plant fibres, grass stems and roots, decorated on the outside with lichen and leaves and lined with animal hair. The nest is placed high in a tree on a horizontal branch. nest construction is undertaken by both sexes, as in incubation
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
and chick rearing. The clutch of pinkish-white freckled eggs usually numbers 1-2. Predators, like the Fiji Goshawk
Fiji Goshawk
The Fiji Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It was once considered to be the same species as the Brown Goshawk of Australia and New Caledonia. It is endemic to Fiji, where it occurs on the larger islands of Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Kadavu, Gau and Ovalau...
and the local race of the Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
, are aggressively mobbed.
The Vanikoro flycatcher is not considered threatened by the IUCN, and is listed as least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
. It remains common across most of Fiji, and is tolerant of human changes to the environment.
Subspecies
- M. v. vanikorensis - Santa Cruz Island, Solomon Islands
- M. v. kandavensis - KadavuKadavuKadavu , with an area of , is the fourth largest island in Fiji, and the largest island in the Kadavu Group, a volcanic archipelago consisting of Kadavu, Ono, Galoa and a number of smaller islands in the Great Astrolabe Reef...
, Beqa and Vatulele, Fiji - M. v. dorsalis - Northern Lau Group
- M. v. townsendi - Southern Lau Group
- M. v. rufiventris - Rest of Fiji