The rock thrushes, ''Monticola'', are a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
chats, medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous
songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5000 ...
s. All are
Old World birds, and most are associated with mountainous regions.
Taxonomy
The genus was erected by the German naturalist
Friedrich Boie
Friedrich Boie (4 June 1789 – 3 March 1870) was a German entomologist, herpetologist, ornithologist, and lawyer.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Universit ...
in 1822. ''Monticola'' is the Latin word for mountain-dweller or mountaineer. The genus was formerly included in the thrush family
Turdidae
The thrushes are a passerine bird family, Turdidae, with a worldwide distribution. The family was once much larger before biologists reclassified the former subfamily Saxicolinae, which includes the chats and European robins, as Old World fl ...
.
studies published in 2004 and 2010 showed that the species are more closely related to members of the Old World flycatcher family
Muscicapidae
The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia), with the exception of several vagrants and two species, Bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica)'' and Northe ...
.
The genus contains the following species:
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White-winged cliff chat, ''Monticola semirufus'' (formerly in ''
Thamnolaea
''Thamnolaea'' is a small genus of passerine birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae, consisting of two closely related species. They are native to sub-Saharan Africa, where they occur in monogamous, territorial pairs along lightly ...
'')
*
Cape rock thrush
The Cape rock thrush (''Monticola rupestris'') is a member of the bird family Muscicapidae. This rock thrush breeds in eastern and southern South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. It is a common Endemism, endemic resident, bird migration, non-migrato ...
, ''Monticola rupestris''
*
Sentinel rock thrush
The sentinel rock thrush (''Monticola explorator'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.
It is found in Lesotho, South Africa, and Swaziland.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland
A grassland is a ...
, ''Monticola explorator''
*
Short-toed rock thrush, ''Monticola brevipes''
*
Miombo rock thrush, ''Monticola angolensis''
*
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. ' ...
, ''Monticola saxatilis''
*
Little rock thrush, ''Monticola rufocinereus''
*
Blue rock thrush, ''Monticola solitarius''
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Chestnut-bellied rock thrush, ''Monticola rufiventris''
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Blue-capped rock thrush, ''Monticola cinclorhyncha''
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White-throated rock thrush, ''Monticola gularis''
*
Littoral rock thrush, ''Monticola imerinus''
*
Forest rock thrush, ''Monticola sharpei''
**
Benson's rock thrush, ''Monticola sharpei bensoni''
*
Amber Mountain rock thrush, ''Monticola erythronotus'' (split from ''M. sharpei'')
Fossil record
''Monticola pongraczi'' (Pliocene of Beremend, Hungary)
[Kessler, E. 2013. Neogene songbirds (Aves, Passeriformes) from Hungary. – Hantkeniana, Budapest, 2013, 8: 37-149.]
References
Further reading
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External links
Rock thrush videoson the Internet Bird Collection
Chats (birds)
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{{muscicapidae-stub