Birds in Taiwan

Endemic Species

Collared Bush-Robin

Flamecrest

Formosan Magpie

Formosan Whistling-Thrush

Mikado Pheasant

Steere's Liocichla

Styan's Bulbul

Swinhoe's Pheasant

Taiwan Barwing

Taiwan Bush-Warbler

Taiwan Partridge

Taiwan Yuhina

White-eared Sibia

White-whiskered Laughingthrush

Yellow Tit

Endemic Sub-Species

Black-browed Barbet

Black-naped Monarch

Black Bulbul

Black Drongo

Black-naped Monarch

Hypothymis azurea oberholseri

Endemic subspecies.

Endemic subspecies.  The Black-naped Monarch is a small (16 cm) greyish-blue flycatcher.  The male’s head, chest, back and tail are blue, darker on the wings;  the belly is white.  There is a thin black band across the throat, and a small black crest on the crown.  The female is brownish-grey on the back, wings, tail and breast, and lacks the crest but has a blue-grey head.  The Black-naped Monarch is a lively bird of lowland forests which feeds on insects, generally catching them on the wing.  It usually watches for prey from a perch in the lower levels of the forest, such as thickets near streams, and frequently flits about, fanning its tail.  Its song is a ringing “hui-hui-hui” or “pwee-pwee-pwee”. 

The Black-naped Monarch breeds between April and July, building a deep cup of fine grasses and moss, supported on the outside with spider silk, lichens and other materials, and suspended in the fork of a slender branch.  The female lays three or sometimes four eggs.  The oberholseri subspecies of Black-naped Monarch is a common resident year-round in Taiwan. 

References:  A Field Guide to the Birds of China (Mackinnon and Phillipps); The Complete Guide to Birds in Taiwan (Jin-yuan Wang)