Melanesian flycatcher

The Melanesian flycatcher (Myiagra caledonica) is a species of bird in the monarch-flycatcher family Monarchidae. The species is found on islands in Melanesia.

Melanesian flycatcher
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Monarchidae
Genus:	Myiagra
Species:	M. caledonica
Binomial name
Myiagra caledonica Bonaparte, 1857
Subspecies
See text

Taxonomy and systematics

It is closely related to the Vanikoro flycatcher. Alternate names for the Melanesian flycatcher include broad-billed flycatcher, Caledonian flycatcher, Caledonian Myiagra flycatcher, Melanesian broadbill, Melanesian Myiagra, New Caledonian flycatcher and New Caledonian Myiagra flycatcher. The alternate name "broad-billed flycatcher" should not be confused with the species of the same name, Myiagra ruficollis.

Subspecies

Five subspecies are recognized:^[2]

• M. c. caledonica - Bonaparte, 1857: Found on New Caledonia
• M. c. viridinitens - Gray, GR, 1859: Originally described as a separate species. Found on the Loyalty Islands
• M. c. melanura - Gray, GR, 1860: Originally described as a separate species. Found on southern Vanuatu
• M. c. marinae - Salomonsen, 1934: Found on northern and central Vanuatu
• M. c. occidentalis - Mayr, 1931: Originally described as a subspecies of the Vanikoro flycatcher. Found on Rennell Island (south-eastern Solomon Islands)

Description

The species is 13 to 14 cm (5.1–5.5 in) long and weighs 10 to 12 g (0.35–0.42 oz). The plumage is sexually dimorphic, with the male having glossy blue-black feathers and a white underbelly, whilst the female has dark feathers and a red throat, along with a white eye-ring.