''Monarcha'' is a genus of bird 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 ...

. 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-faced monarch The black-faced monarch (''Monarcha melanopsis'') is a passerine songbird in the family Monarchidae found along the eastern seaboard of Australia, and also New Guinea (where most birds migrate to during the austral winter; May to August). Ta ...

(''Monarcha melanopsis'') as the type species. The genus formerly included many more species. Based on the results of a

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study published in 2005 nineteen species were moved to the resurrected genus ''

Symposiachrus ''Symposiachrus'' is a genus of birds in the family Monarchidae. Most species are endemic to islands in Melanesia but the spectacled monarch is widely distributed and occurs in parts of Indonesia and western Australia. The genus was previously lu ...

'' and three to '' Carterornis''.

Extant species

The genus ''Monarcha'' contains the following nine species: *

Island monarch The island monarch (''Monarcha cinerascens'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found from Sulawesi to the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moi ...

(''Monarcha cinerascens'') *

Black-faced monarch The black-faced monarch (''Monarcha melanopsis'') is a passerine songbird in the family Monarchidae found along the eastern seaboard of Australia, and also New Guinea (where most birds migrate to during the austral winter; May to August). Ta ...

(''Monarcha melanopsis'') *

Black-winged monarch The black-winged monarch (''Monarcha frater'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found in Australia and on New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist m ...

(''Monarcha frater'') *

Bougainville monarch The Bougainville monarch (''Monarcha erythrostictus'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist mont ...

(''Monarcha erythrostictus'') *

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. Subspecies Four subspecies are recognized: * ''M. c. castan ...

(''Monarcha castaneiventris'') * White-capped monarch (''Monarcha richardsii'') * Yap monarch (''Monarcha godeffroyi'') * Tinian monarch (''Monarcha takatsukasae'')

Former species

Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus ''Monarcha'': * Black-naped monarch (as ''Monarcha azurea'') * Rarotonga monarch (as ''Monarches dimidiatus'') *

Marquesan monarch The Marquesan monarch (''Pomarea mendozae'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to French Polynesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtr ...

(as ''Monarcha mendozae'') * Black monarch (as ''Monarcha axillaris'') *

Black-bibbed monarch The black-bibbed monarch (''Symposiachrus mundus'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae that is endemic to Indonesia. It is found in the Tanimbar Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subt ...

(as ''Monarcha mundus'') * Flores monarch (as ''Monarcha sacerdotum'') * Boano monarch (as ''Monarcha boanensis'') * Spectacled monarch (as ''Monarcha trivirgatus'') * Spectacled monarch (Seram) (as ''Monarcha nigrimentum'') * Spectacled monarch (bernsteinii) (as ''Monarcha bernsteini'') * Spectacled monarch (melanopterus) (as ''Monarcha melanoptera'') * Spectacled monarch (albiventris) (as ''Monarcha albiventris'') * Spectacled monarch (gouldii) (as ''Monarcha gouldii'') * Kai monarch (as ''Monarcha leucurus'') * Tanahjampea monarch (as ''Monarcha everetti'') * Kofiau monarch (as ''Monarcha julianae'') *

Biak monarch The Biak monarch (''Symposiachrus brehmii''), or Biak monarch flycatcher, is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to Biak Island, Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threa ...

(as ''Monarcha brehmii'') *

Manus monarch The Manus monarch (''Symposiachrus infelix''), also called the Admiralty Islands monarch, the Admiralty monarch, the Admiralty pied monarch, the somber monarch and the unhappy monarch, is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic ...

(as ''Monarcha infelix'') *

Mussau monarch The Mussau monarch (''Symposiachrus menckei''), also known as the white-breasted monarch, is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or trop ...

(as ''Monarcha menckei'') *

Black-tailed monarch The black-tailed monarch (''Symposiachrus verticalis'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Taxono ...

(as ''Monarcha verticalis'') * Djaul monarch (as ''Monarcha ateralba'') *

Solomons monarch The Solomons monarch (''Symposiachrus barbatus''), also known as the black-and-white monarch, is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to the Solomon Islands (archipelago), Solomon Islands archipelago. Its natural habitat ...

(as ''Monarcha barbata'') * Malaita monarch (as ''Monarcha malaitae'') * Kolombangara monarch (as ''Monarcha browni'' or ''Monarcha kulambangrae'') * Kolombangara monarch (nigrotectus) (as ''Monarcha nigrotectus'') *

White-collared monarch The white-collared monarch (''Symposiachrus vidua'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found in the Solomon Islands of Ugi and Makira. Taxonomy and systematics This species was originally described as belonging to the genus ...

(as ''Monarcha vidua'' or ''Monarcha viduus'') * White-eared monarch (as ''Monarcha leucotis'') * White-naped monarch (as ''Monarcha pileatus'') * White-naped monarch (buruensis) (as ''Monarcha buruensis'') * Tanimbar monarch (as ''Monarcha castus'') *

Golden monarch The golden monarch (''Carterornis chrysomela'') is a species of passerine bird in the family Monarchidae found in New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. ...

(as ''Monarcha chrysomela'') * Golden monarch (aruensis) (as ''Monarcha aruensis'') * Golden monarch (melanonotus) (as ''Monarcha melanonotus'') * Golden monarch (kordensis) (as ''Monarcha kordensis'') *

Ochre-collared monarch The ochre-collared monarch or rufous-collared monarch (''Arses insularis'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found in Yapen and northern New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and ...

(as ''Monarcha insularis'') * Shining flycatcher (as ''Monarcha alecto'') *

Velvet flycatcher The velvet flycatcher (''Myiagra eichhorni'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to New Hanover, New Ireland & New Britain. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tr ...

(as ''Monarcha hebetior'')

References

Monarchidae Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Bird genera {{Monarchidae-stub