The Maupiti monarch is an extinct species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It was endemic to the island of Maupiti in the Society Islands. The Maupiti monarch became extinct shortly after the type specimen was collected in 1823 by the French Navy officer Jules de Blosseville. At the time of its collection, it was unknown to zoologists.
Region
Society Islands, South Pacific
Typical Environment
Historically restricted to Maupiti, it likely occupied lowland and valley forests, coastal groves, and shrubby thickets. Like related Pomarea monarchs, it would have favored dense understory and mid-canopy strata where insects are abundant. Suitable habitats would have included native broadleaf forest with pandanus and Hibiscus, as well as forest edges. Its highly localized distribution made it extremely susceptible to habitat alteration and introduced predators.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 372 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Maupiti monarch was an extinct monarch flycatcher known only from the island of Maupiti in the Society Islands, French Polynesia. It is known solely from a single specimen collected in 1823 by Jules de Blosseville, after which it disappeared, likely due to habitat loss and introduced predators. As part of the Polynesian monarch (Pomarea) radiation, it would have been a small, insect-eating forest bird. Its extinction highlights the vulnerability of single-island endemics to rapid ecological change.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with frequent sallies
Social Behavior
Monarchs typically occur as territorial pairs, maintaining year-round territories in forested habitats. They construct small cup nests in forks or slender branches and are presumed monogamous. The Maupiti monarch likely followed this pattern, with both parents attending the nest.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Probably a series of thin, whistled notes and soft chips, similar to other Pomarea monarchs. Calls would have been used to advertise territory and maintain pair bonds.
