Male (African) © Marco Valentini eBird S64995473 Macaulay Library ML 204562511
Male (Ethiopian) © Marco Valentini
Male (Madagascar) © John C. Mittermeier
Female © Lars Petersson | My World of Bird Photography
Juvenile © Holger Teichmann
+ 6
Female © Tomáš Grim
Male (African) © Patrick Maurice
Female © Stephen Gast
Female © Lars Petersson | My World of Bird Photography
Male (African) © Neil Osborne

African Stonechat Saxicola torquatus

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Identification

POWERED BY MERLIN

Small, chunky robin-like bird. Males are black and white, with a variable amount of rufous on the underparts. Ethiopian population has a black chest and no red. Females are dark brown on the back and pale below. Both sexes show a variable white wing patch. Found in a wide variety of open habitats, including grassland, heath, marsh, and scrub. Perches up conspicuously. Song is a quick jumbled mix of musical and raspy notes. Similar to the migratory Whinchat, but lacks conspicuous white eye-stripe, and shows white on the rump rather than the base of the tail.

POWERED BY MERLIN