Editorial photo #9935344 Human Interest

Animal India

The black-naped monarch or black-naped blue flycatcher (Hypothymis azurea) is a slim and agile colorful passerine bird belonging to the family of monarch flycatchers found in tropical forest habitats of southern and south-eastern Asia. They are sexually dimorphic, with the male having a distinctive black patch on the back of the head and a narrow black half collar (''necklace''), while the female is duller with olive-brown wings and lacking the black markings on the head. Populations differ slightly in plumage colour and sizes. These little birds are hard to find because it's roaming the forest ground level in dim light to catch insects and hide behind leaves. A female black-naped monarch or black-naped blue flycatcher (Hypothymis azurea) is flying frequent sorties to catch airborne insects at Tehatta, West Bengal; India on 18/04/2023. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto)