The common rock thrush (''Monticola saxatilis''), also known as rufous-tailed rock thrush or simply rock thrush, is a
chat
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belonging to the family
Muscicapidae. It was formerly placed in the family
Turdidae. The scientific name is from
Latin. ''Monticola'' is from ''mons, montis'' "mountain", and ''colere'', "to dwell", and ''saxatilis'' means "rock-frequenting", from ''saxum'', "stone" .
[.]
It breeds in southern
Europe across
Central Asia to northern
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. This species is strongly
migratory, all populations wintering in
Africa south of the
Sahara
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. It is an uncommon visitor to northern Europe. Its range has contracted somewhat at the periphery in recent decades due to
habitat destruction. For example, in the early 20th century it bred in the
Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska
Jura may refer to:
Places
*Jura, Scotland, island of the Inner Hebrides off Great Britain
*Jūra, river in Lithuania
Mountain ranges
* Jura Mountains, on the French–Swiss–German border
*Franconian Jura, south-central Germany
* Swabian Jura, ...
(
Poland) where none occur today,
[Tomek, Teresa & Bocheński, Zygmunt (2005):]
Weichselian and Holocene bird remains from Komarowa Cave, Central Poland
. ''Acta zoologica cracoviensia'' 48A(1-2): 43-65. but it is not considered globally
endangered.
Description
This is a medium-sized but stocky thrush 17–20 cm in length. The summer male is unmistakable, with a blue-grey head, orange underparts and outer tail feathers, dark brown wings and white back. Females and immatures are much less striking, with dark brown scaly upperparts, and paler brown scaly underparts. The outer tail
feathers are reddish, like the male.
[Clement, Peter & Hathaway, Ren (2000): ''Thrushes''. Christopher Helm, London. ]
Behaviour and ecology
This species breeds in open dry hilly areas, usually above 1500 m. It
nests in rock cavities, laying 4–5
eggs. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of
insects, berries and small reptiles. The male common rock thrush has a clear and tuneful song.
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]
Gallery
File:Common rock thrush.jpg, Common rock thrush, Boulmane de Dades, Morocco
File:Monticola saxatilis MWNH 1830.JPG, Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden
References
External links
*
Oiseaux
Photos, map, text.
Ageing and sexing (PDF; 1.2 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael HeinzeHandbook of the Birds of the WorldMacaulay Library
direct lin
here
{{Taxonbar, from=Q235057
common rock thrush
Birds of Eurasia
Birds of East Africa
common rock thrush
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus