From Opus

Photo by bowerbird
Oed Massa, Morocco, March 2006

Phoenicurus moussieri

[edit] Identification

13cm
Male

• Black head
• Broad white headband which goes down to the side of the neck
• Black upperparts
• White wing patch
• Short reddish tail
• Underparts rich orangy-red.

Female - grey-brown above, brownish orange underparts.

[edit] Distribution

Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa.
Rare Vagrant to Europe. Malta (10 records), Spain, Portugal (1 record) and Wales (1 record 1988) are the 4 countries which recorded this bird.

[edit] Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

[edit] Habitat

Open woodland in rocky areas in the mountains.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

Its nest is built in a bush or on the ground and the clutch is typically 3-6 eggs.

[edit] Diet

Diet includes insects.

[edit] Vocalisation

Song is a mixture of rasping sounds and svee-svee notes Call is a plaintive single note, heeh.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Wikipedia
3. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition

• List of references

[edit] External Links