White-crowned cliff chat

Last updated

White-crowned cliff chat
Die Vogel Afrikas (1900) (20949449585), Thamnolaea coronata, .jpg
White-crowned form of the male
of the nominate subspecies
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Muscicapidae
Genus: Thamnolaea
Species:
T. coronata
Binomial name
Thamnolaea coronata
Reichenow, 1902 [1]
Synonyms

Myrmecocichla coronataReichenow, 1902

The white-crowned cliff chat (Thamnolaea coronata) is a species of chat in the family Muscicapidae which occurs in rocky habitats in much of western Sub-Saharan Africa.

Contents

Taxonomy

The white-crowned cliff chat was formally described in 1902 by the German ornithologist Anton Reichenow from a specimen collected in Togo in West Africa. He placed it in the genus Thamnolaea and coined the binomial name Thamnolaea coronata. [2] [3] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek thamnos meaning "bush" with laios meaning "thrush". The specific epithet coronata is Latin meaning "crowned". [4]

Two subspecies are recognised: [5]

It is often considered a subspecies of the mocking cliff chat, [6] especially since many male birds, including individuals of the nominate subspecies, T. c. coronata, do not have the distinctive white crown. [7]

Description

There are two subspecies of which only the nominate subspecies has the white crown, which is also individually variable in extent and sometimes limited to a few white feathers. The males are black above with white shoulder epaulets. The epaulets are largest in the subspecies T. c. cavernicola, smaller in T. c. bambarae, and variable but sometimes absent in the nominate. Males of all subspecies have rufous plumage on the belly and vent. A pale bar separates the breast from the rest of the underparts on T. c. cavernicola, but is lacking on T. c. bambarae, and wider on the nominate subspecies, T. c. coronata. Additionally, T. c. cavernicola has a rufous rump. The females are similar to males but duller, lacking any white shoulder epaulets or a white band over the chest. The female of the nominate subspecies, T. c. coronata, has a paler head while the whole of her underpart plumage is rufous. Length is 20 cm. [7]

It has a melodious rich and far-carrying song with many mimicked phrases; often pairs duet. [7]

Distribution and habitat

The white-crowned cliff chat is found in inselbergs, cliffs, and escarpments in savanna. [7]

Usually seen in pairs. Often slowly raises and lowers its tail, fanning it as it raises it vertically over the bird's back. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharp-shinned hawk</span> Species of bird

The sharp-shinned hawk or Northern sharp-shinned hawk, commonly known as a sharpie, is a small hawk, with males being the smallest hawks in the United States and Canada, but with the species averaging larger than some Neotropical species, such as the tiny hawk. The taxonomy is far from resolved, with some authorities considering the southern taxa to represent three separate species: white-breasted hawk, plain-breasted hawk, and rufous-thighed hawk. The American Ornithological Society keeps all four variations conspecific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater sand plover</span> Species of bird

The greater sand plover is a small wader in the plover family of birds. The spelling is commonly given as "greater sandplover" or "greater sand-plover", but the official British Ornithologists' Union spelling is "Greater Sand Plover". The genus name Charadrius is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek kharadrios a bird found in ravines and river valleys. The specific leschenaultii commemorates the French botanist Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue rock thrush</span> Species of bird

The blue rock thrush is a species of chat. This thrush-like Old World flycatcher was formerly placed in the family Turdidae. It breeds in southern Europe, northwest Africa, and from Central Asia to northern China and Malaysia. The blue rock thrush is the official national bird of Malta and was shown on the Lm 1 coins that were part of the country's former currency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African paradise flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The African paradise flycatcher is a medium-sized passerine bird. The two central tail feathers of the male are extended into streamers that commonly are more than twice as long as the body. The female tail feathers are of moderate length and without streamers. The upper parts of the male body, wings, and tail are boldly coloured in chestnut or rusty shades, but the underparts and the head are variably grey to blue-gray, with the head of the mature male being darker, commonly glossy black with greenish highlights. The beak and other bare areas, including a wattle ring round the eye, match the colour of the surrounding feathers. The female coloration is similar, though not so showy and glossy and with the head paler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handsome spurfowl</span> Species of bird

The handsome spurfowl is a species of bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is a large, up to 35 cm long, terrestrial forest bird with a dark reddish brown plumage, grey head, red bill and legs, brown iris, bare red orbital skin and rufous grey below. Both sexes are similar. The female is slightly smaller than male. The young has duller plumage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape robin-chat</span> Species of bird

The Cape robin-chat is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It has a disjunct range from South Sudan to South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banded kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The banded kingfisher is a tree kingfisher found in lowland tropical forests of southeast Asia. It is the only member of the genus Lacedo. Male and female adults are very different in plumage. The male has a bright blue crown with black and blue banding on the back. The female has rufous and black banding on the head and upperparts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wine-throated hummingbird</span>

The wine-throated hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bearded helmetcrest</span> Genus of birds

The bearded helmetcrests (Oxypogon) are a genus of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. They are found in Colombia and Venezuela. Primary natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, known as páramo. The genus contains four species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fraser's eagle-owl</span> Species of owl

Fraser's eagle-owl is a species of African owl in the family Strigidae. It is named after the British zoologist Louis Fraser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winchell's kingfisher</span> Species of bird

Winchell's kingfisher or the rufous-lored kingfisher, is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae, the kingfishers. It is endemic to the Philippines, its natural habitat being lowland forests. It is threatened by deforestation, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a vulnerable species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange-crowned fairywren</span> Species of bird

The orange-crowned fairywren is a species of passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is monotypic within the genus Clytomyias. It is found on New Guinea in its natural habitat of subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-browed robin-chat</span> Species of bird

The white-browed robin-chat, also known as Heuglin's robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. Found in east, central and southern Africa, its natural habitats include riverine forest and thickets, and it is also found near humans. The IUCN classifies it as a least-concern species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bearded scrub robin</span> Species of bird

The bearded scrub robin, also known as the eastern bearded scrub robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in eastern and southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mocking cliff chat</span> Species of bird

The mocking cliff chat, mocking chat or cliff chat, is a species of chat in the family Muscicapidae which occurs in rocky habitats in much of eastern Sub-Saharan Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baglafecht weaver</span> Species of bird

The baglafecht weaver is a species of weaver bird from the family Ploceidae which is found in eastern and central Africa. There are several disjunct populations with distinguishable plumage patterns. Only some races display a discrete non-breeding plumage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale-yellow robin</span> Species of songbird native to eastern Australia

The pale-yellow robin is a species of passerine bird in the family Petroicidae. It is endemic to eastern Australia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is a nondescript bird with grey head and olive upperparts, white throat and yellow underparts. The sexes are similar. Two subspecies are recognised: the smaller nana from North Queensland, and the larger and uncommon nominate race capito from southeast Queensland and northeastern New South Wales. It is insectivorous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plain-breasted hawk</span> Species of bird

The plain-breasted hawk is a small hawk described from Venezuela to western Bolivia. It is usually considered a subspecies of the sharp-shinned hawk by most taxonomists, including the American Ornithological Society, but the taxonomy is far from resolved, with some authorities considering the southern taxa to represent three separate species: white-breasted hawk, plain-breasted hawk, and rufous-thighed hawk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abyssinian wheatear</span> Species of bird

The Abyssinian wheatear, or Abyssinian black wheatear, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found from Ethiopia to southern Kenya and north-eastern Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-crowned bishop</span> Species of bird

The yellow-crowned bishop is a species of passerine bird in the family Ploceidae native to Africa south of the Sahara. It is highly sexually dimorphic in its breeding season, during which the male adopts a distinctive yellow and black plumage, contrasting with the female's predominantly brown coloration. Four subspecies are recognised.

References

  1. "Thamnolaea coronata Reichenow, 1902". Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (https://www.itis.gov). Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  2. Reichenow, Anton (1902). "Thamnolaea coronata Rehw. n. sp". Ornithologische Monatsberichte (in German). 10: [157-158].
  3. Mayr, Ernst; Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, eds. (1964). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 10. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 121.
  4. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp.  383, 118. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  5. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2023). "Chats, Old World flycatchers". IOC World Bird List Version 13.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  6. "Mocking Cliff-chat (Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris)". HBW Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Borrow, Nik; Demey, Ron (2001). Birds of Western Africa. A & C Black. p. 615. ISBN   0-7136-3959-8.