Brown Rock Chat - BirdForum Opus

Alternative names: Brown Chat; Indian Chat

Pair
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Gurgaon, Haryana, India, August-2016

Oenanthe fusca

Cercomela fusca

Identification

17 cm (6¾ in)

• Dark brown overall plumage
• Wings darker
• Blackish tail
• Rufous-tinged supercilium

Distribution

Juvenile
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Mangar Bani, Aravali Hills, Faridabad-Gurgaon Road, Haryana, India, June-2018

North India and north-western Pakistan.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species.
It's placed in genus Cercomela by Clements.

Habitat

Low rocky hills, ravines, scrubby trees, urban vegetation, open countryside. wilderness and farmland, road side areas, often near human habitation/groves.

Behaviour

Diet

Their insectivorous diet consists of beetles, ants, spiders and other, mostly ground insects. They have been seen feeding at night on insects attracted to lights.

Breeding

They nest from February to August, though usually from April to June. The nest is a cup formed from plant fibres, hair and wool positioned in a crevice. The 3-4 pale blue eggs have rusty spots at the large end. The young fledge after about 15 days from hatching. There may be 2 or 3 broods in the season.

Vocalisation

Recording © by Alok Tewari
Residential Block, Delhi, India, 29 March, 2019.
Spring/early summer song given before day-break ( 4.45 a.m. ).

We have always heard this song, given by Brown Rock Chat, before or around day-break; a resident species in this area.

Recording © by Alok Tewari
Residential Block, Sector-19, Faridabad, Haryana, India, 3 May, 2024 ... 5.24 am

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2011. IOC World Bird Names (version 2.10). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
3. enotes.com
4. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved September 2016)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Brown Rock Chat. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown_Rock_Chat

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