Tahiti monarch  (Pomarea nigra)

Description

Less than 50 of this small, monochrome songbird remain, but an intensive recovery programme may be able to pull the species back from the verge of extinction (3). Both males and females have a plumage that is metallic black, with bluish-grey legs and a pale blue bill. Immature Tahiti monarchs, or flycatchers, differ by having reddish-cinnamon plumage and grey legs and bill. Its song is a strong and complex flute-like melody, whilst its alarm call is a sharp tick-tick-tick sound (2).

left