- Whinchat
Taxobox
name = Whinchat
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
image_caption = Male Whinchat
image_width = 204px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia =Muscicapidae
genus = "Saxicola "
species = "S. rubetra"
binomial = "Saxicola rubetra"
binomial_authority = (Linnaeus,1758 )The Whinchat, "Saxicola rubetra" [
Etymology : "Saxicola", "rock-dweller", fromLatin "saxum", a rock + "incola", one who dwells someplace. "rubetra", Latin for "colored reddish" or "reddish-hued".] ,is a smallpasserine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be anOld World flycatcher , Muscicapidae. It, and similar smallEurope anspecies , are often called chats.It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in open rough pasture or similar uncultivated grassland in
Europe andAsia . It nests in tussocks. All birds winter inAfrica .The Whinchat is similar in size to the
European Robin . Both sexes have a yellowish rump and white tail, with a black terminal band. The summer male has brownish upperparts, buff throat and blackish head sides. It has a strong white supercilium. There are white wing patches.The female has pale brown head sides, a buff supercilium and no white wing patches.
The male has a whistling, crackly song. Its call is a typical chat “chack” noise or a soft whistle.
Bracken is a preferred habitat for this species.This species represents a fairly basal divergence of the
genus "Saxicola" (Wink "et al." 2002).References
* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
* Wink, M.; Sauer-Gürth, H. & Gwinner, E. (2002): Evolutionary relationships of stonechats and related species inferred from mitochondrial-DNA sequences and genomic fingerprinting. "
British Birds " 95: 349-355. [http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/fak14/ipmb/phazb/pubwink/2002/28.2002.pdf PDF fulltext]External links
* [http://www.ibercajalav.net/img/333_WhinchatSrubetra.pdf Ageing and sexing (PDF) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta]
* [http://www.bsc-eoc.org/avibase/species.jsp?lang=EN&id=750BE0529824FFF0&ts=1221593408463&sec=summary Avibase]Footnotes
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