title: Chestnut-bellied monarch
text: # Chestnut-bellied monarch
  
  The chestnut-bellied monarch (Monarcha castaneiventris) or chestnut-bellied monarch-flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to the Solomon Islands.
  
  ## Subspecies
  
  Four subspecies are recognized:
  
  * M. c. castaneiventris - Verreaux, 1858: Found on Choiseul, Santa Isabel, Guadalcanal and Malaita
  * M. c. obscurior - Mayr, 1935: Found on Russell Islands
  * Makira monarch (M. c. megarhynchus) - Rothschild & Hartert, 1908: Found on Makira
  * Makira monarch (M. c. ugiensis) - (Ramsay, EP, 1882): Originally described as a separate species in the genus Pomarea. Found on Ugi Island
  
  ## Behaviour and ecology
  
  In 2009, it was reported that a genetic change in some members of this species caused their colouration and songs to be different from other members of the species. As a result, members in one group did not recognize members in the other, so the two groups became reproductively isolated from each other. It was thought that over time, this could eventually lead to the creation of a new species, and that this was an example of biological evolution.
  
  