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European Stonechat

European Stonechat

Saxicola rubicola

Identify the European Stonechat by sound or photo and log your sightings with Birdpass.

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The European Stonechat is a small, lively chat of open scrub and rough grassland across western and southern Europe, east to the Caucasus and in North Africa. Once lumped with the Siberian and African Stonechats, it is now a separate species. Breeding males have a black head, a white half-collar and an orange breast; females are browner. It is resident or a short-distance migrant.

Did you know?

  • Its name comes from its call, like two stones tapped together.
  • It often returns to the same lookout perch after each sally.

Voice

Song
Call
Alarm call

About the species

Identification

The breeding male is easy to recognise: a black head, a broad white half-collar on the neck, an orange breast, a dark back and a dark or streaked rump. Young birds and females in autumn can be hard to separate from Whinchat but lack its clear pale supercilium. It is told from Siberian Stonechat by the darker, streaked rump and smaller white patches. Its calls and song differ from the Whinchat's.

Family

Turdidae

Size

Small (sparrow)

Colours

black, orange, brown, white

About the habitat

Open scrubby habitats – heathland with gorse and heather, coastal dunes, rough grassland, fallows and hedgerows – with low perches and dense cover.

Diet

Mainly insects and other small invertebrates – beetles, flies, caterpillars and spiders – as well as berries and small seeds, especially outside the breeding season.

Behaviour

Perches conspicuously on shrub tops and fence posts, flicking its wings and tail, and makes short flights to catch prey. Pairs are monogamous and territorial; the female builds a low, well-hidden nest, and both parents feed the young. The male sings a scratchy, twittering song, and both sexes give a sharp “tchack” like two stones knocked together.

Sources

Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) male, Beaulieu, Hampshire.jpg

Sound: Sonothèque ADVL, XC919288, CC0 1.0 https://xeno-canto.org/919288

Sound: wilmet sebastien, XC929828, CC0 1.0 https://xeno-canto.org/929828

Sound: Joost van Bruggen, XC432235, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://xeno-canto.org/432235

Text: Wikipedia (English) + FinBIF species descriptions, CC BY-SA 4.0; FinBIF: CC BY 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_stonechat

See also