- Oenanthe melanura
Cercomela melanura
Identification
14–16 cm
- Brownish-grey plumage (lighter underparts)
- Black tail
- Dark alula
Middle Eastern races have bluer plumage
Distribution
North Africa, Middle East and Arabian Peninsula
Northern Africa: Egypt
Western Africa: Mali, Niger, Chad, Cameroon
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia
Middle East: Turkey, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 6 subspecies[1]:
- O. m. ultima:
- O. m. airensis:
- O. m. lypura:
- O. m. aussae:
- O. m. melanura:
- Dead Sea depression of Egypt and Jordan to Saudi Arabia
- O. m. neumanni:
- Western Saudi Arabia to Yemen, Aden and Hadramaut
It's placed in genus Cercomela by Clements.
Habitat
Breeds in rocky deserts and mountains.
Behaviour
Resident. Not shy.
Movement
Often fans wings and tail when landing.
Breeding
It nests in a rock crevice the clutch consisting of 3–5 eggs.
Diet
The diet includes insects.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Blackstart. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Blackstart
External Links
