Page 308 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

CHATS AND THRUSHES
Order Passeriformes Family Turdidae Species Monticola saxatilis
Rock Thrush
stout,
spiky
pale spots wear bill
dark brown off in summer
white on wings powder-blue
back head and
(dark on neck
female)
pale bars dark spots on
above rufous breast
MALE
rust-
orange tail
with thin rich rust-orange
dark centre
underside
(orange buff on
female with
narrow dark bars)
IN FLIGHT
white bars
wear off in
summer
JUVENILE
strong dark
legs
FLIGHT: strong, direct, quick, with bursts of
wingbeats; fluttery song-flight.
MALE
small thrush with a short tail and stocky body, the (SPRING)
ARock Thrush is characteristic of high alpine
pastures, rocky slopes, and small upland fields with
stone walls. It perches on boulders, poles, overhead
wires, and other prominent places and so may be
relatively easy to see. Its song-flight also catches the
eye, although finding a small bird in a habitat that is
generally so open and expansive can be difficult.
Identifying it is usually simple enough: males
especially are quite striking.
VOICE Squeaky whit and hard chak; song fluty, soft,
Blackbird-like rich, musical warble, descending, often
in song-flight.
NESTING Grassy cup in hole in wall or cavity among
rocks or scree; 4 or 5 eggs; 1 brood; May–June.
FEEDING Looks for food from high perch, dropping SUMMER COLOURS
down onto insects, small reptiles, and worms; also eats Fresh feathers have whitish tips, but by mid-summer, these wear off to
berries and seeds. create a more uniform appearance.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Found from March to September
WHEATEAR 32; REDSTART 32; in S Europe north to Alps and
see p.300 see p.298
Pyrenees, very rare outside this
slimmer and range. Breeds in high alpine
smaller
much meadows and on grassy slopes
smaller
with boulders and crags; also on
cliffs and in deep gorges.
white
on tail Seen in the UK
JF M A M J JA S ON D
Length 17–20cm (6 1 ⁄2 –8in) Wingspan 30–35cm (12–14in) Weight 50–70g (1 3 ⁄4 –2 1 ⁄2oz)
Social Family groups Lifespan Up to 5 years Status Declining†
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