White-winged cliff chat

The white-winged cliff chat (Monticola semirufus) is a species of passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found in rocky wooded gorges, among boulders and in road cuttings within the Ethiopian Highlands.

White-winged cliff chat
Two males in Ethiopia

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Muscicapidae
Genus: Monticola
Species:
M. semirufus'
Binomial name
Monticola semirufus'
(Rüppell, 1837)
Synonyms
  • Myrmecocichla semirufa
  • Thamnolaea semirufa

This species was formerly placed in the genus Thamnolaea but was moved to Monticola based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010.[2][3]

Female at Debre Berhan, Ethiopia

Length 19–21 cm. The male has a striking chestnut belly which the female lacks. Juvenile is spotted buff above and below. Both sexes show striking white secondaries in flight. The white patches in the primaries are diagnostic of this species.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Monticola semirufus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Zuccon, D.; Ericson, Per G.P. (2010). "The Monticola rock-thrushes: phylogeny and biogeography revisited". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 55: 901–910. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.009. PMID 20079862.
  3. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Chats, Old World flycatchers". World Bird List Version 6.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  • Sinclair, Ian & Ryan, Peter (2003) Birds of Africa south of the Sahara, Struik, Cape Town.
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