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Spectacled Monarch (Symposiarchus [Monarcha] trivirgatus) Alternate name(s): "Spectacled Flycatcher", "Black-fronted Flycatcher", "Pearly Flycatcher", "Black-winged Flycatcher" Size: 15-16.5 cm Body mass: 10-16 g

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Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Spectacled Monarchs are small monarchs. They have a black frons, lores, eye stripes and ear coverts, giving the impression of a black face. The rest of the head, the back and the wings slightly mottled grey. The rest of the front (cheek patches, chest, sides, flanks and upper belly) is rufous-orange. The flight feathers are darker grey than the rest of the back. The uppertail is dark-grey, with white edges on the outer six tail feathers. The undertail has a wide white subterminal band. The eyes have dark-brown irises. The bill, the legs and the feet are all grey. Immature Spectacled Monarchs have a grey head, facial mask and bib and brown edge lining on the wing feathers. Juveniles have mottled, highly cryptic brown plumage. Twitcher's tip Compared with Black-faced Monarchs, they have black around the eyes and on the ear coverts, but they do not have a grey breast band.

Taxonomy, classification See Spectacled 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 Spectacled Monarch is available HERE . The range of the Spectacled Monarch extends from eastern Indonesia via parts of New Guinea to eastern Australia. Spectacled Monarchs populate the North-East and East coast of Australia during their breeding season. In winter the southern races migrate northwards. During the breeding season race "gouldii" is found along the East coast and the eastern slopes of the ranges from the Hunter River in NSW up to about the Whitsundays, QLD. Further North from there, up to Cape Melville, QLD, race "melanorrhoa" breeds. Beyond Cape Melville, at the tip of Cape York peninsula, one finds race "albiventris", which possibly migrates across the Torres Strait in winter. Spectacled Monarchs can usually be found in wet forest and mangroves in intertidal wetlands.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "gouldii" A Spectacled Monarch, race "gouldii", was first spotted by us in Byfield NP, QLD, in July 2009. The next sighting was at Iluka NR, NSW, in February 2012. A pair of Spectacled Monarchs, race "gouldii", was spotted by us at Limeburners Creek NP, NSW, in October 2013. M. Mearns reports spotting a Spectacled Monarch, race "gouldii", at Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, in December 2015. This location is outside the species' normal range, which is restricted to more (near-)coastal regions. Juvenile Spectacled Monarchs, race "gouldii", were reported to us from both sides of the NSW/QLD border, on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, in the timeframe April/May 2017. M. Eaton reports spotting a Spectacled Monarch, race "gouldii", at the Moggill Forest Reserve, near Anstead, QLD, in August 2017. More Spectacled Monarchs, race "gouldii", were found at O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, in January 2020. They are occasionally found in other near-coastal locations in SE QLD and up to Eungella NP, near Mackay, QLD, in June 2021. We found a cluster of several Spectacled Monarchs, race "gouldii", along the Myrtle Scrub Scenic Drive in Cottan-Bimbang NP, near Walcha, NSW, in October 2018. Race "melanorrhoa" B. Hensen reports spotting Spectacled Monarchs, race "melanorrhoa", at Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, in July 2013, and at Kingfisher Park, Julatten, QLD, in July 2013 and again in November 2018. M. Miller reports finding a Spectacled Monarch nest of race "melanorrhoa" at Paluma, near Townsville, QLD, in November 2020. M. Eaton spotted a Spectacled Monarch, race "melanorrhoa", at Julatten, QLD, in August 2023, and again in June 2024. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours found a Spectacled Monarch, race "melanorrhoa", at the Maardja Boardwalk, Cape Tribulation, Daintree NP, QLD, in October 2020. Race "albiventris" M. Eaton reports finding a Spectacled Monarch, race "albiventris", at Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, in August 2019, where it was observed collecting nesting material at the time.

Photos

Race "gouldii"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Spectacled Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Hillview Court Reserve, Dayboro, QLD, May 2020]

Near-frontal view of a Spectacled Monarch
[Limeburners Creek NP, NSW, October 2013]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a Spectacled Monarch looking sideways
[Byfield NP, QLD, July 2009]

Near-lateral view of a Spectacled Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Hillview Court Reserve, Dayboro, QLD, May 2020]

Lateral view of a Spectacled Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Eungella NP, near Mackay, QLD, June 2021]

Lateral view of a Spectacled Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Forest Reserve, near Anstead, QLD, August 2017]

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

Lateral view of a calling Spectacled Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, January 2020]

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

Lateral/ventral view of a Spectacled Monarch
[Limeburners Creek NP, NSW, October 2013]

Dorsal view of a Spectacled Monarch hiding in dark undergrowth
[Iluka NR, NSW, February 2012]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a juvenile Spectacled Monarch (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Toonumbar State Forest, northern NSW, April 2017]

Near-frontal view of the same Spectacled Monarch as shown above (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Toonumbar State Forest, northern NSW, April 2017]

Lateral view of the same Spectacled Monarch as shown above (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Toonumbar State Forest, northern NSW, April 2017]

Lateral view of the same Spectacled Monarch as shown above (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Toonumbar State Forest, northern NSW, April 2017]

Race "melanorrhoa"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Spectacled Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Paluma Rainforest, near Townsville, QLD, September 2020]

Frontal view of a Spectacled Monarch looking sideways (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kingfisher Park, Julatten, QLD, July 2013]

Near-frontal view of a Spectacled Monarch (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a Spectacled Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Julatten, QLD, June 2024]

Near-lateral view of a Spectacled Monarch looking away from the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Julatten, QLD, August 2023]

Close-up lateral view of a Spectacled Monarch (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Maardja Boardwalk, Cape Tribulation, Daintree NP, QLD, October 2020]

Lateral view of a Spectacled Monarch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Julatten, QLD, June 2024]

Race "albiventris"

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Spectacled Monarch that has caught a spider (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Sep - Feb

Eggs: 2

Incubation period: 15 - 17 days

Fledging age: ca. 11 days

The breeding season of Spectacled Monarchs depends on geographic latitude.

Nest

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

Type: Basket

Material: Bark strips, leaf skeletons, moss, webs, white spider cocoons; grass or fibre lining

Height above ground: 1 - 4 m

Overview of the location of a Spectacled Monarch nest in a slender upright fork (photo courtesy of M. Miller)
[Paluma, near Townsville, QLD, November 2020]

View from above into a Spectacled Monarch nest (photo courtesy of M. Miller)
[Paluma, near Townsville, QLD, November 2020]

Disused Spectacled Monarch nest (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kingfisher Park, Julatten, QLD, November 2018]

Eggs

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

Size: 22 x 16 mm

Colour: Off-white, with mid- to dark-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, Spectacled Monarchs are insect hunters. They usually take them from foliage.

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Spectacled Monarch with its catch, a small caterpillar (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Hillview Court Reserve, Dayboro, QLD, May 2020]

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.

specmon_20181014_3.m4a	gouldii (E NSW)	Contact calls(?) Q&A	© MD
specmon_20181014_2.m4a	gouldii (E NSW)	Various, incl. contact calls(?) Q&A	© MD
specmon_20181014.m4a	gouldii (E NSW)	Annoyed/squabbling	© MD

More Spectacled 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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