Chestnut-bellied monarch

The chestnut-bellied monarch (Monarcha castaneiventris) or chestnut-bellied monarch-flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to the Solomon Islands.

Chestnut-bellied monarch
Chestnut-bellied monarch (below); illustration by Keulemans, 1879
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Monarchidae
Genus:	Monarcha
Species:	M. castaneiventris
Binomial name
Monarcha castaneiventris Verreaux, 1858
Subspecies
See text

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized:[2]

• M. c. castaneiventris - Verreaux, 1858: Found on Choiseul, Santa Isabel, Guadalcanal and Malaita
• M. c. obscurior - Mayr, 1935: Found on Russell Islands
• Makira monarch (M. c. megarhynchus) - Rothschild & Hartert, 1908: Found on Makira
• Makira monarch (M. c. ugiensis) - (Ramsay, EP, 1882): Originally described as a separate species in the genus Pomarea. Found on Ugi Island

Behaviour and ecology

In 2009, it was reported that a genetic change in some members of this species caused their colouration and songs to be different from other members of the species. As a result, members in one group did not recognize members in the other, so the two groups became reproductively isolated from each other. It was thought that over time, this could eventually lead to the creation of a new species, and that this was an example of biological evolution.[3]

References

1. BirdLife International (2017). "Monarcha castaneiventris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T103715139A112353494. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T103715139A112353494.en.
2. "IOC World Bird List 6.4". IOC World Bird List Datasets. doi:10.14344/ioc.ml.6.4.
3. Beautiful plumage: Feather color and sex start the species revolution, eurekalert.org, August 5, 2009