The Ochre-collared Monarch (Arses insularis) is a small insectivorous bird found in the rainforests of New Guinea and nearby islands. Despite its name, it is not a true monarch in the royal sense — the term refers to its place in the Monarchidae family, a group of agile, insect-eating songbirds distributed across Australasia.

Its defining feature is the ochre-orange collar that circles its neck, contrasting sharply with its black-and-white plumage. Both sexes share this coloration, though the brightness varies with age and condition. Like other members of its genus, Arses, it has partially bare blue facial skin — an uncommon trait among passerines.

A notable fact: the Ochre-collared Monarch is known for its acrobatic hunting style. It flits actively through the understory, hanging upside down or hovering to snatch insects from leaves and branches, behavior more typical of flycatchers than forest songbirds.

Taxonomically, the species was once considered a subspecies of the Frilled Monarch (Arses telescopthalmus), but genetic studies confirmed it as distinct. Its persistence depends on intact lowland and hill rainforests, habitats increasingly threatened by logging and land conversion across New Guinea