The Boano monarch, or black-chinned monarch, is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae endemic to Indonesia. It is found on Boano island in the southern Mollucas. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Region
Maluku Islands
Typical Environment
Occurs only on Boano Island off the west coast of Seram in the southern Moluccas. It inhabits subtropical to tropical moist lowland forest, including degraded and secondary growth, as well as forest edges and dense shrubland. Birds typically forage in the understorey to mid-storey and along edges where insect activity is high. The species is considered highly patchy due to ongoing forest clearance, and remaining populations are concentrated in areas with intact cover.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also known as the black-chinned monarch, it is a tiny island flycatcher confined to Boano Island in Indonesia’s southern Moluccas. It belongs to the monarch flycatcher family (Monarchidae) and has been placed in the genus Symposiachrus following taxonomic revisions. Its extremely small range makes it highly sensitive to habitat loss and degradation.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick sallies
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs, maintaining small territories within suitable forest patches. It nests as a typical monarch flycatcher, building a small cup nest suspended from a forked twig. Pairs are likely monogamous within a breeding season and may join mixed-species foraging flocks outside nesting.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
An unobtrusive series of thin, high-pitched whistles delivered from shaded perches. Calls include sharp chips and soft tsee notes used for contact between pair members.
Plumage
Neat, contrasting flycatcher with smooth plumage; upperparts are slate-grey to dusky, with clean whitish underparts. A distinct dark patch on the chin and upper throat gives the species its alternate name. Subtle pale edging on the wings and a slightly paler throat-to-breast transition may be visible in good light.
Diet
Feeds primarily on small insects and other arthropods, gleaned from foliage and bark or taken in short aerial sallies. It picks prey from the undersides of leaves and occasionally hawks flying insects in small bursts. Foraging is deliberate but active, moving methodically through lower to mid-level vegetation.
Preferred Environment
Most often forages along forest edges, semi-open understory, and secondary growth where insect densities are high. It also uses dense shrubland and thickets adjacent to remaining primary forest.
