Golden monarch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Golden monarch |
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| Male photographed on Biak, Indonesia | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Monarchidae |
| Genus: | Carterornis |
| Species: |
C. chrysomela
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| Binomial name | |
| Carterornis chrysomela (Lesson & Garnot, 1827)
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| Subspecies | |
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See text |
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| Synonyms | |
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The golden monarch (Carterornis chrysomela) is a beautiful passerine bird found in New Guinea. It belongs to the family Monarchidae, which are often called monarch flycatchers.
This bird lives in warm, wet forests, both in lowlands and on mountains. Golden monarchs are easy to tell apart because males and females look very different. Males are a striking golden color with black markings, while females are golden or golden-olive. Both have a special white "teardrop" pattern under their eyes.
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About the Golden Monarch
The golden monarch was first described by a French scientist named Prosper Garnot in 1827. It's part of a group of birds known as monarch flycatchers. These birds are not related to the "Old World flycatchers" you might know.
Sometimes, people call the golden monarch by other names, like the black-and-gold monarch or the black-and-yellow monarch.
Different Types of Golden Monarchs
There are nine different types, or subspecies, of the golden monarch. They are found in slightly different areas:
- C. c. aruensis - Found in southwestern New Guinea and the Aru Islands.
- C. c. melanonotus - Found on islands off western Papua and northwestern New Guinea.
- C. c. kordensis - Found on Biak Island, near northwestern New Guinea.
- C. c. aurantiacus - Found in northern New Guinea.
- C. c. nitidus - Found in eastern and southeastern New Guinea, and the Louisiade Archipelago.
- C. c. pulcherrimus - Found on Dyaul Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
- C. c. chrysomela - Found on New Hanover Island and New Ireland in the Bismarck Archipelago.
- C. c. whitneyorum - Found on Lihir Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
- C. c. tabarensis - Found on Tabar Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
What Does a Golden Monarch Look Like?
Golden monarchs are small birds, measuring about 12.5 to 14 centimeters (5 to 5.5 inches) long. As mentioned, males and females look quite different.
The male golden monarch is bright golden. It has sharp black patches on its cheeks and throat, and its main wing feathers and tail are also black. Its beak is pale blue and black, and its eyes are dark brown. A special feature is the white "teardrop" pattern of feathers right under its eye. Some types of males have a golden back, while others have a black back.
The female golden monarch does not have the black markings. Instead, she is an olive-green color with more yellowish feathers on her belly. She has a black beak and also has that distinctive white "teardrop" pattern under her eye.
Where Do Golden Monarchs Live?
You can find the golden monarch across New Guinea and on several nearby islands. This includes the Aru Islands to the west, and the D'Entrecasteaux Islands and the Bismarck Archipelago to the east. However, they are not found on New Britain.
These birds prefer to live in lowland rainforests or swamp forests, usually up to about 700 meters (2,300 feet) high. In New Ireland, they can be found up to 1,400 meters (4,600 feet). They mostly stay high up in the tree canopy, but they might come down to get water.
What Do Golden Monarchs Eat?
The golden monarch is an insectivorous bird, meaning it eats insects. They are often seen joining groups of other bird species, like the yellow-bellied gerygone and Wallace's fairywren, to search for food together. This is called a mixed-species foraging flock.
 | Charles R. Drew |
 | Benjamin Banneker |
 | Jane C. Wright |
 | Roger Arliner Young |
