Mascarene Paradise Flycatcher

Overview

The Terpsiphone bourbonnensis is a species of bird in the monarch-flycatcher family Monarchidae, classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is endemic to the Mascarene Islands of Mauritius and Réunion, comprising two subspecies that recent genetic studies have shown to be distinct evolutionary lineages.

Identification

• Males feature a black head with a grey neck-band, throat, breast, and belly, contrasting with chestnut upperparts and tail.
• Females are smaller than males, possessing a paler bill and a dark-grey head.
• The species measures 15 to 20 cm in length and notably lacks the long tail typical of many Terpsiphone members.
• The bill is bright blue, and the legs are greyish; the Mauritian subspecies (T. b. desolata) is larger with brighter plumage than the Réunion population.

Habitat

The Terpsiphone bourbonnensis is found in the Mascarene Islands, with habitat preferences varying by subspecies. The Mauritian subspecies is restricted to native evergreen forests and Araucaria plantations, preferring closed canopies with little undergrowth, while the Réunion subspecies occupies a wider range of forested habitats from sea level to 600 m.

Diet

Feeding primarily on insects such as beetles, flies, dragonflies, moths, grasshoppers, and mayflies, the bird obtains prey by hawking from the air or sally-gleaning off vegetation while perched. It usually forages alone but may join flocks of white-eyes, a behaviour observed more frequently in Réunion.

Did you know?

Although classed as subspecies of the Mascarene paradise flycatcher, molecular phylogenetic studies identify the Mauritius and Réunion populations as distinct Evolutionarily Significant Units with independent evolutionary histories.