Melanesian flycatcher
The Melanesian flycatcher 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:M. c. caledonica - Bonaparte, 1857: Found on New CaledoniaM. c. viridinitens - Gray, GR, 1859: Originally described as a separate species. Found on the Loyalty IslandsM. c. melanura - Gray, GR, 1860: Originally described as a separate species. Found on southern VanuatuM. c. marinae - Salomonsen, 1934: Found on northern and central VanuatuM. c. occidentalis - Mayr, 1931: Originally described as a subspecies of the Vanikoro flycatcher. Found on Rennell Island
Description
The species is long and weighs. 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.