Blue Rock Thrush - BirdForum Opus

Adult male M. s. solitarius
Photo © by Jamie MacArthur
Lesvos, Greece, April 2009

Monticola solitarius

Identification

Adult female M. s. solitarius
Photo © by Jamie MacArthur
Lesvos, Greece, April 2009

20–23 cm (7¾-9 in)
Male nominate

• Blue-grey plumage
• Darker wings and tail
  

Female variable and immature

• Dark brown upperparts
• Pale brown scaly underparts

Variations

Male of East Asian subspecies philippenis has chestnut underparts. Southeast Asian subspecies madoci small and short-tailed.

Distribution

Southern Europe, north-western Africa (wintering to north-eastern and central Africa), Siberia to central Asia to northern China and Malaysia.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Subspecies M. s. longirostris Male in winter
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Malshej Ghat, Sahyadri Mountains, District Thane, Maharashtra, India, 30 December 2023

There are 5 subspecies^[1]:

• M. s. solitarius:

• Southern Europe, north-western Africa and Middle East; winters to central Africa

• M. s. longirostris:

• Northern Iraq and Iran to Pakistan; winters to northern India and north-eastern Africa

• M. s. pandoo:

• Central Asia and Himalayas; winters to Malaysia and Indonesia

• M. s. philippensis:

• South-eastern Siberia to China, Japan and Lan-yü Island; winters to Indonesia

• M. s. madoci:

• Malay Peninsula and Sumatra

Habitat

Fairly conspicuous on exposed rocky slopes, road cuts even through forests, open areas including parks, and along rocky streams and rivers (on wintering grounds).

Subspecies philippenis
Photo © by robby thai
Koh Chang Island, Ranong Province, Thailand, 3 April 2014

Behaviour

Breeding

They nest on steep cliffs in rock cavities and walls. The clutch consists of 3-5 eggs.

Diet

The diet vertebrates, small vertebrates, insects and fruit. Insects include grasshoppers, locusts and crickets.

Vocalisation

Subspecies philippensis, Autumn male
Photo © by bievreJJ
Hachijo-jima, Izu Islands, Japan, 8 September 2012

One subadult, perched on a steel bar, projecting from a tall overhead water supply tank, giving four/ five types of calls and song :

Audio © by Alok Tewari
Malshej Ghat ( Mountain Pass ), Sahayadri Range, Thane, Maharashtra, India.
30 December 2023 ... 3.57 pm

Gallery

Click on photo for larger image

• 

  Juvenile, subspecies longirostris
  Photo © by max1
  Panna Nat.Park, C. India, 10 February 2018]]

• 

  Fresh-plumaged, non-breeding male, subspecies pandoo
  Photo © by BKKBen
  Phu Suan Sai NP, Loei, Thailand, 4 October 2017

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Collar, N. (2019). Blue Rock-thrush (Monticola solitarius). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/58415 on 26 March 2019).
4. Clement, P. & Hathway, R. (2000) Thrushes. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton.

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Blue Rock Thrush. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Blue_Rock_Thrush

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