Tahiti monarch facts for kids
The Tahiti monarch (also called the Tahiti flycatcher) is a special and rare bird. It belongs to a group of birds known as monarch flycatchers. This bird lives only on the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia. This means it's endemic to Tahiti – you won't find it anywhere else in the wild!
Today, there are only about 25 to 100 of these birds left. Luckily, their numbers seem to be slowly growing. Adult Tahiti monarchs are completely black with light blue beaks and feet. They are famous for their beautiful, flute-like song and a unique "tick-tick-tick" call. These birds love to live in thick forests, especially high up in the trees and in the bushes below, near native mara trees. People are working hard to protect them from dangers like rats and other birds that don't belong on the island.
Quick facts for kids Tahiti monarch |
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Contents
About the Tahiti Monarch's Family Tree
Taxonomy is the way scientists classify living things. The Tahiti monarch was first described by a scientist named Anders Sparrman in 1786. He placed it in a group called Muscicapa.
For a while, another bird, the Maupiti monarch, was thought to be a type of Tahiti monarch. But in 2012, scientists decided they were different enough to be considered separate species.
What Does the Tahiti Monarch Look Like?
This bird is about 15 centimeters (about 6 inches) long. It's completely black, and its beak is a pretty pale blue color.
Young Tahiti monarchs look different from their parents. They are a reddish-brown color.
The Tahiti monarch makes a sound like "tick-tick-tick." Its song is often described as sounding like a flute.
Where Does the Tahiti Monarch Live?
The Tahiti monarch lives in the thick forests of Tahiti. It prefers to stay high up in the trees (the canopy) and in the bushes below (the understory). They especially like areas with mara trees (Neonauclea forsteri), which are the last native trees left on the island.
These birds live in dense forests, usually between 80 meters and 4000 meters above sea level. They are often found in valleys close to rivers.
The Tahiti monarch is native only to Tahiti, which is part of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. Between 1986 and 1991, they were only found in four valleys on the island. By 1998, they had disappeared from two of those valleys but appeared in two new ones. This meant they were living in the Papehua, Orofero, Tiapa, and Maruapo valleys. Sadly, by 2010, the birds in the Orofero valley were gone.
As of 2019, experts believe there are only about 25 to 100 adult Tahiti monarchs left. Another study from the same year estimated there were 91 adults.
How Does the Tahiti Monarch Behave?
The Tahiti monarch is a very vocal bird and protects its territory. It mostly looks for insects to eat under the cover of the trees or in the bushes. You won't often see it in open areas.
When it flies, it moves slowly and in a straight line. Its song is similar to the Tahiti Reed-Warbler's song, but it sounds more like a flute. When the bird senses danger, it makes a sharp, quick "tick" sound.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Tahiti monarchs are monogamous, meaning they stay with one partner. They work together to build their nest, sit on the eggs to keep them warm (this is called incubation), and raise their chicks.
When a pair of monarchs are bonding, they might touch beaks. The male also performs a special courtship dance, flapping his wings and making unique sounds different from his usual calls.
These birds lay eggs all year round, but they are most active between August and January. They build their nests in the fork of tree branches. The nest is shaped like a cup and is often covered by leaves to protect it from rain and sun.
Inside, the nest is lined with small ferns and a special mixture of tiny wood pieces and leaves that the birds bring up. On the outside, they sometimes add white spider silk and small leaves. This helps to hide the nest and make it stronger. Building a nest can take anywhere from 4 to 22 days. If a nest fails, these monarchs have been seen trying to build new ones up to seven times in one breeding season!
Threats and Conservation Efforts
The Tahiti monarch faces a big threat from Black rats. These rats eat the birds' eggs and chicks.
In 1998, a special program started to help the Tahiti monarch. It focused on controlling the rats using poison and by putting bands around trees to stop rats from climbing them. These efforts worked best when done all year long.
Another big problem for the Tahiti monarch is the presence of other birds that were brought to the island. These include the Common myna and the Red-vented bulbul. These birds have been seen in areas where Tahiti monarch nests failed or where young birds died early. Common mynas are known to eat eggs and chicks. Red-vented bulbuls can disrupt the monarchs' breeding and compete for food.
The conservation program put in place ways to control these invasive birds, including shooting, poisoning, and trapping. After these efforts, there were almost no common mynas left in the Tahiti monarch's habitat, and the Red-vented bulbul population decreased. These actions helped the Tahiti monarch have more successful nests and raise more chicks.
Other threats to the Tahiti monarch include changes to their forest home. This happens because of invasive plants like Miconia calvescens and Spathodea campanulata that grow quickly and take over. Goats also damage the forest. Besides rats, cats also hunt the monarchs. The Society kingfisher is another bird that competes with the Tahiti monarch for resources.
