Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush
Encyclopedia
The Common Rock Thrush formerly Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush or Rock Thrush, is a chat
belonging to the Muscicapidae family. It was formerly placed in the Turdidae family.
It breeds in southern Europe
across central Asia
to northern China
. This species is strongly migratory
, all populations wintering in Africa
south of the Sahara
. 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 (Poland
) where none occur today, but it is not considered globally endangered.
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.
This species breeds in open dry hilly areas, usually above 1500 m. It nests in rock cavities, laying 4–5 egg
s. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, berries and small reptiles. The male Common Rock Thrush has a clear and tuneful song.
Chat (bird)
Chats are a group of small Old World insectivorous birds formerly classed as members of the thrush family Turdidae, but now considered Old World flycatchers....
belonging to the Muscicapidae family. It was formerly placed in the Turdidae family.
It breeds in southern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
across central Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
to northern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. This species is strongly migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, all populations wintering in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
south of the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
. It is an uncommon visitor to northern Europe. Its range has contracted somewhat at the periphery in recent decades due to habitat destruction
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
. For example, in the early 20th century it bred in the Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska (Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) where none occur today, but it is not considered globally endangered.
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.
This species breeds in open dry hilly areas, usually above 1500 m. It nests in rock cavities, laying 4–5 egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, berries and small reptiles. The male Common Rock Thrush has a clear and tuneful song.
Media
- Videos – Handbook of the Birds of the World
- Video – BirdGuides
- Video – Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab or Ornithology
- Audio and photos - Mangoverde; direct link here
Foreign equivalents
The Common Rock Thrush is called:- báibēi jīdōng (白背矶鸫 simplified, 白背磯鶇 traditional) in Mandarin.
- koshi jiro iso hiyo dori (コシジロイソヒヨドリ or 腰白磯鵯) in JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
.
External links
- Oiseaux Photos, map, text.
- Ageing and sexing (PDF) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta