Pale-blue monarch
| Pale-blue monarch | |
|---|---|
_female_on_nest.jpg)
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| female | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Monarchidae |
| Genus: | Hypothymis |
| Species: | H. puella
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| Binomial name | |
| Hypothymis puella (Wallace, 1863)
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| Subspecies | |
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See text | |
| Synonyms | |
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The pale-blue monarch (Hypothymis puella) is a small passerine bird in the family Monarchidae endemic to eastern Indonesia.
Taxonomy and systematics
The pale-blue monarch was originally described in the genus Myiagra and then classified as subspecies of the widespread black-naped monarch, Hypothymis azurea, until split by the IOC in 2013 to describe a new species.[1] Some other authourities have not yet adopted this species split.[2] The alternate name Moluccan monarch should not be confused with the species of the same name, Symposiachrus bimaculatus. Additional alternate names for the pale-blue monarch include Pacific monarch (a name shared with the buff-bellied monarch), Pacific small monarch and small monarch.
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized:[3]
- H. p. puella - (Wallace, 1863): Found on Sulawesi and adjacent islands
- H. p. blasii - Hartert, 1898: Found in the Banggai archipelago.
Behaviour and ecology
The pale-blue monarch is a forest species which builds a small cup nest. It has short legs and sits very upright whilst perched prominently, like a shrike. It is insectivorous, often hunting by flycatching.
References
- ^ "Species 3.1-3.5 « IOC World Bird List". www.worldbirdnames.org. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
- ^ "Hypothymis puella blasii - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
- ^ "IOC World Bird List 6.3". IOC World Bird List Datasets. doi:10.14344/ioc.ml.6.3.
