The Biak monarch (''Symposiachrus brehmii''), or Biak monarch flycatcher, is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the family

Monarchidae The monarchs (family Monarchidae) comprise a family of over 100 passerine birds which includes shrikebills, paradise flycatchers, and magpie-larks. Monarchids are small insectivorous songbirds with long tails. They inhabit forest or woodland a ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Biak Island, Indonesia. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

; the Biak monarch's habitat is affected by clearing forests for agricultural use and by logging. There are an estimated 2,500 to 9,999 adult birds of the species. If juvenile birds are included, the population may be between 3,500 and 15,000 individuals. Its population is decreasing.

Taxonomy and systematics

This species was originally placed in the genus ''

Monarcha ''Monarcha'' is a genus of bird in the family Monarchidae. They are found in Australia and Melanesia. Taxonomy and systematics The genus ''Monarcha'' was introduced by naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827 with the black-fac ...

'' until moved to ''Symposiachrus'' in 2009.

Description

Biak monarchs measure 17 centimeters. Its heads, wings, throat, and central tail feathers are dark brown or black; its outer tail feathers, belly, breast, and rump are white. It also has a white patch on its wing. Some of the coloring may differ based on

sex Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones ( ova, of ...

or age.

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet.
Symposiachrus Birds of the Schouten Islands Birds described in 1871 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Endemic fauna of the Biak–Numfoor rain forests {{Monarchidae-stub