Monarchidae

Terpsiphone atrocaudata
Japanese Paradise-flycatcher
Japanse Paradijsmonarch (Dutch)

ZMA 43609
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Near-Threatened A splendid dark-purplish flycatcher, occurring in three distinct races: (1) nominate atrocaudata of the humid subtropical forests of C & S Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu (Japan), (2) illex of the forests of Yakushima and the Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and (3) periophthalmica, breeding on the Lanyu Is. (SE Taiwan) and on the Batan Is. off N Luzon (Philippines). The birds winter in forests from SE China and the Philippines south through SE Asia to Sumatra. Recently, some Japanese populations of nominate atrocaudata have been subject to a steep decline, probably due to clearing of forest on the wintering grounds or by direct persecution, while also some islands in the Ryukyu's and further south have for a large part been cleared of forest, affecting the populations of illex and periophthalmica.

Items in the ZMA - 8 birds:
ZMA 42045 'Adult female' [= autumn immature], undated, Japan, skin of Japanese feather-trade make, ex Snouckaert 2045, ex Sillem-Van Marle 2045, skin.

ZMA 43460-43462 Adult males, 10, 13 & 20 Jun 1912, Mt. Fuji (35°23'N, 138°42'E), Honshu, Japan, coll. Kobayashi, ex Snouckaert 3640-3642, ex Sillem-Van Marle 3460-3462, skins.

ZMA 43607-43609 Adults, female & two males, 6, 8 & 10 May 1913, Amami O-shima I. (c. 28°10'N, 129°15'E), Ryukyu Is. (= Nansei-shoto), Japan, coll. Kobayashi, ex Snouckaert 3460-3462, ex Sillem-Van Marle 3460-3462, skins.

ZMA 56288 [Immature male], undated, no locality [probably from the wintering area], collector unknown, skin.

Remarks
The three birds from Amami O-shima are ssp. illex, the five others are nominate atrocaudata.

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