The name Monjita is Spanish for "little nun" presumably descriptive of their mostly white plumage with black trim. All white birds are more typically found in polar regions. This striking species breaks all the rules of color adaptation in the tropics, being almost entirely white with contrasting black in its wings and tail. This is a male. Females are grayer. Although a member of the Tyrant Flycatcher family (Tyrannidae), this species acts more like a Bluebird (Sialia sp.). It perches in the open and pounces on insects on the ground. This is the widespread nominate race. A smaller race (X. i. niveus) with more black in its tail is found locally in Eastern Brazil.
