Monarch of the rainforest

We get two kinds of monarchs here — country and we pied (Arses kaupi) and black-faced (Monarcha melanopsis). Actually, we get three, but that would have finished off an already ailing joke. The third species is the spectacled monarch (M. trivirgatus).

Of the three, the black-faced monarch is the species I see most often. The birds appear late in the afternoon, just as the light is going, so getting a photo — even a 'soft' one like this — is a matter of luck. They are active birds, constantly moving through the vegetation in search of insects. Occasionally, they stop to mob spotted catbirds.

Black-faced monarchs are migratory across a large part of their range, arriving in September and leaving in March. At least part of the population on the Atherton Tablelands is resident. They must like the cold weather.

Tyto Tony has photos of the other two species from Jourama Falls, south of Ingham, where it is balmy all year around.

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Sadly, the generic name of the pied monarch still fills me with mirth.