The common rock thrush (''Monticola saxatilis''), also known as rufous-tailed rock thrush or simply rock thrush, is a

chat Chat or chats may refer to: Communication * Conversation, particularly casual * Online chat, text message communication over the Internet in real-time * Synchronous conferencing, a formal term for online chat * SMS chat, a form of text messagin ...

belonging to the family Muscicapidae. It was formerly placed in the family Turdidae. The scientific name is from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

. ''Monticola'' is from ''mons, montis'' "mountain", and ''colere'', "to dwell", and ''saxatilis'' means "rock-frequenting", from ''saxum'', "stone" .. It breeds in southern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

across

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

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 Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

south of the

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

. 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 (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. 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 Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

) 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 An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

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

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

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.

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 The common rock thrush (''Monticola saxatilis''), also known as rufous-tailed rock thrush or simply rock thrush, is a chat belonging to the family Muscicapidae. It was formerly placed in the family Turdidae. The scientific name is from Latin. ' ...

Birds of Eurasia Birds of East Africa

Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus