Black-naped Monarch
Hypothymis azurea
Only the male boasts the vibrant azure plumage and the stark black 'nape' patch; the female is a subtle olive-brown, perfect camouflage for incubating eggs.
- Scientific name
- Hypothymis azurea
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Monarchidae › Hypothymis
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Tropical and subtropical broadleaf forests, bamboo groves, and wooded gardens.
- Diet
- Insectivorous, feeding primarily on flies, moths, beetles, and cicadas caught mid-air.
- Range
- South Asia, Southeast Asia, India, Indonesia, Philippines
- Size
- 16 cm in length, weighing approximately 8-12 grams.
- Lifespan
- 3 to 5 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to deforestation, agricultural expansion, and urban development.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and highly active. Observe quietly from a distance of 10-15 meters using binoculars to avoid disrupting its foraging. If you locate a nest, keep your distance to prevent parent abandonment. In the extremely rare event of physical contact, it poses no danger, but wash hands afterward to maintain hygiene.
The black-naped monarch or black-naped blue flycatcher ( Hypothymis azurea ) is a slim and agile passerine bird belonging to the family of monarch flycatchers found in southern and south-eastern Asia. They are sexually dimorphic, with the male having a distinctive black patch on the back of the head and a narrow black half collar ("necklace"), while the female is duller with olive brown wings and lacking the black markings on the head. They have a call that...
Photo: Rejoice Gassah, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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