Black-naped Monarch

Scientific Name: Hypothymis azurea
Malay Name: Murai-Ranting Biasa
Chinese Name: 黑枕王鹟

Range:
Found from Indian subcontinent to Southern China and Southeast Asia.

Taxonomy:
Polytypic. Subspecies are: styani, oberholseri, ceylonensis, tytleri, idiochroa, nicobarica, montana, galerita, forrestia, prophata, javana, penidae, karimatensis, opisthocyanea, gigantoptera, consobrina, leucophila, richmondi, abbotti, symmixta, azurea, aeria, catarmanensis

Local Subspecies: prophata

Size: 16-17.5 cm

Identification: Male has distinctive all blue upperparts and breast, white belly and black nuchal tuft and breast band. Female has a dull bluish head, greyish breast, brownish upperparts and whitish belly. Juvenile resembles female.

Habitat: Forest, forest edge and secondary growth near forest.

Behaviour/Ecology: Diet consist presumably of small insects which are usually snatched when flushed.

Local Status: Rare resident

Conservation Status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)

Location: Still occur in the northern half of Pulau Tekong. Also sighted in Pulau Ubin. A bird was sighted at Central Catchment Forest on 1 Jan 2004.

Photos:

Male Black-naped Monarch at Pulau Tekong on 16 Dec 2012. Photo Credit: Lim Kim Chuah

Male Black-naped Monarch at Pulau Tekong on 16 Dec 2012. Photo Credit: Lim Kim Chuah

Black-naped Monarch (male) at Panti Bird Sanctuary. Photo credit: Lawrence Neo

Black-naped Monarch (male) at Panti Bird Sanctuary. Photo credit: Alan Ng

Black-naped Monarch (male) at Panti Bird Sanctuary. Photo credit: Alan Ng

Black-naped Monarch (female) at Panti Bird Sanctuary. Photo credit: Alan Ng

External Links:
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Photos: Oriental Bird Images
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

Reference:
Craig Robson (2011) A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia
David Wells (2007) The Birds of Thai-Malay Peninsula, Volume 2