Melanesian flycatcher
{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Melanesian Flycatcher 0A2A8135.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Myiagra
| species = caledonica
| authority = Bonaparte, 1857
| subdivision = See text
}}
The Melanesian flycatcher (Myiagra caledonica) is a species of bird in the monarch-flycatcher family Monarchidae. The species is found on islands in Melanesia.
Taxonomy and systematics
It is closely related to the Vanikoro flycatcher. Alternate names for the Melanesian flycatcher include broad-billed flycatcher, Caledonian flycatcher, Caledonian Myiagra flycatcher, Melanesian broadbill, Melanesian Myiagra, New Caledonian flycatcher and New Caledonian Myiagra flycatcher. The alternate name "broad-billed flycatcher" should not be confused with the species of the same name, Myiagra ruficollis.
=Subspecies=
Five subspecies are recognized:{{Cite journal|title=IOC World Bird List 6.4|url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/ioc-lists/crossref|journal=IOC World Bird List Datasets|doi=10.14344/ioc.ml.6.4|doi-access=free}}
- M. c. caledonica - Bonaparte, 1857: Found on New Caledonia
- M. c. viridinitens - Gray, GR, 1859: Originally described as a separate species. Found on the Loyalty Islands
- M. c. melanura - Gray, GR, 1860: Originally described as a separate species. Found on southern Vanuatu
- M. c. marinae - Salomonsen, 1934: Found on northern and central Vanuatu
- M. c. occidentalis - Mayr, 1931: Originally described as a subspecies of the Vanikoro flycatcher. Found on Rennell Island (south-eastern Solomon Islands)
Description
The species is {{convert|13|to(-)|14|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and weighs {{convert|10|to(-)|12|g|oz|abbr=on}}. The plumage is sexually dimorphic, with the male having glossy blue-black feathers and a white underbelly, whilst the female has dark feathers and a red throat, along with a white eye-ring.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Monarchidae|2}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2224640}}
Category:Birds described in 1857
Category:Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Monarchidae-stub}}