[Barred Wobbler]

While I was coming back across the Sinai desert from St Catherine's monastery in March this bundle of colour erupted from the road-side barrier on a curve.

My first impression was anything but "stonechat", in fact at first I didn't know what to make of it. White, bright red and black burst upwards and I was lucky enough to get the taxi to stop while I grabbed a couple of shots after it settled.

Collins has it as race variegatus under the subspecies of Eastern Stonechat.

My question is, has the eastern stonechat been split from common stonechat yet, and is it likely to be?

[Richard Klim]

Originally Posted by Barred Wobbler

Collins has it as race variegatus under the subspecies of Eastern Stonechat.

My question is, has the eastern stonechat been split from common stonechat yet, and is it likely to be?

Svensson et al 2009 (Collins Bird Guide) refers to the maurus subspecies group as 'Eastern Stonechat'.

Saxicola maurus (incl ssp variegatus) is split from S torquatus (as Siberian Stonechat) by Urquhart & [birdboy]Bowley 2002 (Stonechats), IOC, CSNA/Dutch Birding, OSME and China Bird Report;
but not by BOURC, AERC, OBC, AOU, BLI (under review), Cornell/Clements or HBW.

Richard

[Barred Wobbler]

Thanks Richard

[Larry Wheatland]

The latest IOC list also splits the eastern form stejnegeri as a full species, Stejneger's Stonechat. Not sure if that's monotypic or not.

[Richard Klim]

Originally Posted by Larry Wheatland

The latest IOC list also splits the eastern form stejnegeri as a full species, Stejneger's Stonechat. Not sure if that's monotypic or not.

Yeah, it's monotypic.

Richard

[birdboybowley]

But variegatus (and armenicus) will probably end up being known as 'Caspian Stonechat'. Cracking bird indeed!!

[Richard Klim]

Originally Posted by birdboybowley

But variegatus (and armenicus) will probably end up being known as 'Caspian Stonechat'. Cracking bird indeed!!

...and he should know, having beautifully illustrated the little b*ggers!

Richard

[Barred Wobbler]

"Wow" isn't a word that's usually part of my vocabulary, but when that particular bird flew up from the roadside just in front of the car, I couldn't help myself.

I actually did say "Wow". (Then thought to myself, "Did I really just say, 'wow'?").

It's a little stunner alright.

[birdboybowley]

Originally Posted by Richard Klim

...and he should know, having beautifully illustrated the little b*ggers!

Richard

Ta very much

[Mysticete]

On a related note, what are the field marks for Stejneger versus Siberian?

I saw tons of Stejneger's in Japan, but have no clue at what features really distinguish them from Siberian, as Mark Brazil doesn't illustrate the latter form.

[Richard Klim]

Originally Posted by Mysticete

On a related note, what are the field marks for Stejneger versus Siberian?

Urquhart & Bowley 2002:

• Very similar in plumage detail and size to maurus, often impossible to separate in the field. c15% wider base to bill.
  
• Adult male breeding: virtually identical to maurus but variably shows less white on rump/uppertail-coverts; rufous on breast slightly more extensive.
  
• Adult male non-breeding: fringes to upperpart & underpart feathers darker rufous than maurus (more apparent in E of range).
  
• Female: virtually identical to maurus.

Richard

[Mysticete]

Doesn't sound like a fun id away if you have a vagrant.

Wonder if the documentation of vagrants to Alaska is good enough to sort those two species. Certainly Stejneger's is most likely, but Siberian can't be impossible as a vagrant

[Larry Wheatland]

Originally Posted by Mysticete

Doesn't sound like a fun id away if you have a vagrant.

Wonder if the documentation of vagrants to Alaska is good enough to sort those two species. Certainly Stejneger's is most likely, but Siberian can't be impossible as a vagrant

probably ditto for the UK

[Richard Klim]

Originally Posted by Larry Wheatland

probably ditto for the UK

Indeed. This from BBRC, 2006 (Racial identification and assessment in Britain):

"Several authors have questioned the validity of the east Asian stejnegeri, and it is unclear whether it can be diagnosed with confidence (it differs only subtly from maurus, being on average a little darker and with the colours more saturated, rather as hibernans is to rubicola in the west), and the possibility of a stejnegeri x maurus intergrade could never be fully excluded. The one accepted British record should be reviewed, and we do not seek further claims of this taxon."

But with Zink et al 2009 showing that maurus and stejnegeri are not even closest relatives, stejnegeri clearly merits recognition as a valid taxon, even if diagnosis is problematic.

The one accepted British record of stejnegeri (ad male, Cley, Norfolk, May 1972) was subsequently revised to 'maurus or stejnegeri' in the BOURC 37th Report (Oct 2008).

Other British records have presumably been attributed to maurus largely on the basis of probablility rather than reliable subspecific identification. Perhaps most/all should more correctly be recorded as maurus/stejnegeri...

Richard

[chris butterworth]

There is one British record of varigatus, sometime in the mid 80's and in the South West I think.
Chris

[Richard Klim]

Originally Posted by chris butterworth

There is one British record of varigatus, sometime in the mid 80's and in the South West I think.

Yes, first accepted record of variegatus was at Porthgwarra, Oct 1985, with at least two subsequent records (Landguard, Sep 1993 and Virkie, Shetland, May 2006).

Richard

[birdboybowley]

Wasn't a variegatus claimed on Portland in the last couple of years? All I know is that maurus and stejnegeri are hard enough to tell apart when holding skins side by side!!