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Immature Mocking Cliff-Chat? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter leon
- Start date
My fieldguide (SASOL guide ver3) only says that the young bird looks like the female. The picture of the female is grey with a black chest, but with a red-brownish tummy. It does not refer to the markings on the chest or back in my picture. Am i missing something obvious?
Jane Turner
Well-known member
It it helps I can see a rusty base to the tail in the sort of position a Bluethroat would have red..
Its a chat for sure - it bears a passing resmblance to a Rock Thrush in build
Its a chat for sure - it bears a passing resmblance to a Rock Thrush in build
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The description of the young African Stonechat in my guide (translated) says the back is dark and has pale yellow spots, and the front is lighter that the adult. Why I have not selected this bird is because the upper chest appears black to me, and extends much lower than just the throat as on the stonechat.
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Sorry Jane, I have just red the description of the Cape Rock-Thrush and it appears to fit, allthough the chest still bothers me.
(The back has light yellow marks,a nd the chest feathers have black marks.)
This birds description is a closer fit than the Cliff-chat or stone-chat.
(The back has light yellow marks,a nd the chest feathers have black marks.)
This birds description is a closer fit than the Cliff-chat or stone-chat.
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Michael Frankis
conehead
I was thinking Monticola sp. too
Michael
Michael
Rasmus Boegh
BF member
Oops! Deleted my previous thread by mistake, here's a new that should be quite similar:
Certainly not juv. Mocking Cliff-chat; they are nothing but paler versions of the adults (never heavily speckled as your bird).
Almost certainly a Monticola (as stated by Michael & Leon); the species that seems to fit the best is juv. Cape Rock Thrush (M. rupestris). Having said that, it could potentially be a juv. female Short-toed Rock Thrush (M. brevipes). These two species have largely non-overlapping ranges. Presuming the photo was taken in the region where you live again points to Cape Rock Thrush as the most likely. Juv. Sentinel Rock Thrush (M. explorator) is fairly easy to exclude as it has whitish (not buff) spottings on the back.
Leon, exactly where was it seen?
Certainly not juv. Mocking Cliff-chat; they are nothing but paler versions of the adults (never heavily speckled as your bird).
Almost certainly a Monticola (as stated by Michael & Leon); the species that seems to fit the best is juv. Cape Rock Thrush (M. rupestris). Having said that, it could potentially be a juv. female Short-toed Rock Thrush (M. brevipes). These two species have largely non-overlapping ranges. Presuming the photo was taken in the region where you live again points to Cape Rock Thrush as the most likely. Juv. Sentinel Rock Thrush (M. explorator) is fairly easy to exclude as it has whitish (not buff) spottings on the back.
Leon, exactly where was it seen?
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Rasmus Boegh
BF member
leon said:
That again points towards Cape; but, of course, it doesn't exclude Short-toed for certain.
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