Iphis monarch

The Iphis monarch (Pomarea iphis), or Ua Huka flycatcher, is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to French Polynesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, and plantations.

Iphis monarch

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Monarchidae
Genus: Pomarea
Species:
P. iphis
Binomial name
Pomarea iphis
Murphy & Mathews, 1928

Taxonomy and Systematics

In 2012, a former subspecies (Pomarea iphis fluxa) was re-classified as the Eiao monarch.[2]

Distribution & Population

The Iphis monarch is endemic to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia and is restricted to the island of Ua Huka. In 1998 an ornithological study estimated that approximately 500 to 1,200 pairs lived on Ua Huka. This corresponds to about 2-5 pairs per hectare.

Ecology

Nesting pairs of birds where found from anywhere between 30–650 meters in elevation on Ua Huka. This bird prefers mid-elevation moist forest and lowland dry forest on the eastern coast of Ua Huka where it forages in dense brush for insects. The Iphis monarch hunts for insects by gleaning insects from branches. This bird also has been known to hunt at night for insects.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Pomarea iphis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. "IOC World Bird List 3.1". IOC World Bird List Datasets. doi:10.14344/ioc.ml.3.1.


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