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Black-faced Monarch (Monarcha melanopsis) Alternate name(s): "Black-faced Flycatcher", "Carinated Flycatcher", "Pearly-winged Flycatcher" Size: 16-20 cm Body mass: 17-20 g

Australia: Family Group 21 Family Group 21 Table White-eared Monarch Pied Monarch Frill-necked Monarch Black-faced Monarch Black-winged Monarch Spectacled Monarch Yellow-breasted Boatbill Broad-billed Flycatcher Leaden Flycatcher Satin Flycatcher Shining Flycatcher Restless Flycatcher Paperbark Flycatcher Rufous Fantail Arafura Fantail Mangrove Fantail Grey Fantail Northern Fantail Willie Wagtail Spangled Drongo Magpie-lark Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Black-faced Monarchs are small to medium-sized monarchs. The two sexes look alike. They have a black frons, lores, throat patch and upper chest, giving the impression of a black face. The eyes are surrounded by light-grey eye-rings that connect to equally light-grey ear coverts. The rest of the head, the back and the chest are slightly darker grey. The rest of the front (lower breast to undertail coverts) is rufous. The flight feathers are dark-grey, with lighter grey edges; the tail is grey. The eyes have dark-brown irises. The strong bill, the legs and the feet are all grey. Juveniles have mottled, highly cryptic brownish plumage. Twitcher's tip Compared with Spectacled Monarchs, they have no black around the eyes and on the ear coverts and they have a grey breast band.

Taxonomy, classification See Black-faced Monarch at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Black-faced Monarch is available HERE . Black-faced Monarchs can be found in Papua New Guinea and in eastern Australia. In Australia, Black-faced Monarchs populate the East coast of the continent; some migrate to New Guinea via the Torres Strait, but most migrate North-South on the Australian continent. They are found along the coastline and the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range from about Cooktown, QLD, to the NSW/VIC border. They only rarely extend their range further West, into the ranges, and along the South coast up to about Melbourne, VIC. Found only rarely (during migration) on Cape Melville and the tip of Cape York peninsula. Black-faced Monarchs are usually found in dense, wet forest and rainforest, often in the middle storey.

Sightings Click here for sighting information A Black-faced Monarch was first observed by us at Dorrigo NP, NSW, in January 2011. In October 2013 three Black-faced Monarchs were found by us at Big Hill, Limeburners Creek NP, NSW. R. Plumtree reports spotting Black-faced Monarchs at Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, in April 2013. An immature bird was found at the same location in February 2017. East Gippsland is right at the southern end of the species' range. M. Mearns reports spotting a Black-faced Monarch at Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, in December 2015. This location is outside the species' normal range, which is restricted to more (near-)coastal regions. Another Black-faced Monarch was found by A. Campbell nearby, at Mount McEuen, QLD, in April 2017. E. Scott reports spotting Black-faced Monarchs occasionally at Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW. M. Eaton reports finding Black-faced Monarchs occasionally at near-coastal locations in south-eastern QLD. Another was found at Gloucester Tops, Barrington NP, NSW, in December 2019. The species was also found at Paluma Rainforest, near Townsville, QLD, in September 2020. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours found a Black-faced Monarch at Malanda, QLD, in October 2023.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Black-faced Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, January 2020]

Frontal view of a Black-faced Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, November 2023]

Close-up frontal view of a Black-faced Monarch looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Malanda, QLD, October 2023]

Frontal/ventral view of a Black-faced Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, January 2020]

Frontal/ventral view of a Black-faced Monarch looking sideways (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, NSW, March 2017]

Near-frontal view of a Black-faced Monarch looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, November 2023]

Near-lateral view of a Black-faced Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, November 2023]

Close-up near-lateral/ventral view of a Black-faced Monarch (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Malanda, QLD, October 2023]

Close-up lateral view onto the upperparts of a Black-faced Monarch (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Malanda, QLD, October 2023]

Lateral/ventral view of a Black-faced Monarch (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, April 2013]

Lateral/ventral view of a Black-faced Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, January 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a Black-faced Monarch looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Near-dorsal view of a Black-faced Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, November 2023]

Dorsal view of a Black-faced Monarch looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barrington Tops NP, NSW, December 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Black-faced Monarch looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of A. Campbell)
[Mount McEuen, QLD, April 2017]

Lateral view of a juvenile Black-faced Monarch looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, February 2017]

Lateral view of a juvenile Black-faced Monarch (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, February 2017]

Lateral/ventral view of a juvenile Black-faced Monarch (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, NSW, March 2017]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a juvenile Black-faced Monarch (photo courtesy of A. Campbell)
[Mount McEuen, QLD, April 2017]

There is a separate page showing an adult Black-faced Monarch feeding a dependent young.

Breeding information

Breeding season: Oct - Jan

Eggs: 2 - 3

Incubation period: ?

Fledging age: ?

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket

Material: Casuarina leaves, moss, webs; very fine, hair-like lining

Height above ground: 2 - 5 m

Near-frontal view of a Black-faced Monarch on its nest (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2017]

Lateral view of a Black-faced Monarch on its typical moss-coated nest (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2017]

Frontal view of a Black-faced Monarch carrying material to apply the finishing touches to its nest
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2017]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 23 x 17 mm

Colour: Off-white, with large brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Migratory/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary

Food, Diet

Like all other members of the Monarcha family, Black-faced Monarchs are insect hunters. They usually take them from foliage.

Frontal view of a Black-faced Monarch with its prey, a grasshopper (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, April 2013]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

blkfmon_me_20231030.m4a	(SE QLD)	Contact calls	© ME
blkfmon_me_20200927.m4a	(N QLD)	Contact calls	© ME
blkfmon_art_20131210.m4a	(SE QLD)	Contact calls (Q&A)	© ART
blkfmon_20160314.m4a	(SE QLD)	Contact calls (Q&A)	© MD
blkfmon_me_20231030_2.m4a	(SE QLD)	?	© ME

More Black-faced Monarch sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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