Alternative name: Arnot's Chat = Arnott's Chat
- Myrmecocichla arnotti
Identification
Male is black with white crown and white on the shoulder; tail and rump being completely black separate it from other similar birds.
Female is mostly black including crown but with black-speckled white on breast and throat.
Distribution
Africa
Western Africa: DRC, Angola
Eastern Africa: Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa
Taxonomy
Subspecies[1]
There are 2 subspecies
- M. a. harterti:
- M. a. arnotti:
Ruaha Chat was formerly considered conspecific.
Habitat
Dry forests.
Behaviour
In Rwanda they don't inhabit miombo woodland like across the border in Tanzania but human habitations and nest in roofs.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Avibase
- BF Member observations
- Birdforum thread mentioning the possible split of "Ruaha Chat" (in post 356)
- Sinclair et al. 2002. Birds of Southern Africa. Princeton Field Guides, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. ISBN 0-691-09682-1
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) White-headed Black Chat. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 17 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/White-headed_Black_Chat
