Pied Monarch

Notes:

It occurs in all rainforests but is least common at higher altitudes. It obtains food from the bark of trees, where it spirals around trunks and large branches like a treecreeper. This is an endemic to the Wet Tropics. It is a member of a group of birds called the flycatchers, which also includes Bower’s Shrike-thrush, another bird endemic to the region. The Pied Monarch is closely related to, and very similar to, the Frilled Monarch of Cape York Peninsula. It is small (14-15cm), blue-black and white with a blue eye ring. The difference between the male and female of the Pied Monarch (and also the Frilled Monarch) is in the chin. The males have black chins and the females have white chins. They build woven cup-shaped basket nests of small dry roots, twigs and vine tendrils. Spider webs are used to weave the nest, and pieces of lichen are used to decorate the nest. These nests are hung between hanging vines. Breeding season is between September and January in the wet summer season.Two eggs are usually laid. These active birds forage for food (mainly insects) on tree trunks, crevices and branches by clinging to the bark and flapping their wings to move them up and down, fanning its tail. This movement resembles that of a Treecreeper. They are sometimes seen singly, but more commonly in pairs.