- Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris
Includes White-crowned Cliff Chat
Identification
Length 19–21 cm (7½ in); mass 46-51 g.
Adult male:
- Glossy black overall plumage
- Rufous rump and belly
- White carpal (wrist) patch
- Dark brown eye
- Black bill, legs and feet
Adult female:
- Slaty black (where male glossy black)
- Deep chestnut (where male rufous)
- Lacks white patch on wing
Immature: Similar to adults, but duller.
Distribution
Africa south of the Sahara.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
8 subspecies accepted.
- T. c. bambarae:
- Mali (Mandingo Mountains)
- T. c. coronata:
- Togo and south-eastern Burkina Faso to northern Cameroon and western Sudan (Darfur)
- T. c. kordofanensis:
- Central Sudan (Kordofan and Nuba Hills)
- T. c. albiscapulata:
- South Ethiopia
- T. c. subrufipennis:
- Southeastern South Sudan and southwestern Ethiopia south to Zambia and Malawi
- T. c. odica:
- East Zimbabwe
- T. c. cinnamomeiventris:
- Central South Africa
- T. c. autochthones:
- Northeastern South Africa (south to northern KwaZulu-Natal), eSwatini, and southern Mozambique
T. c. coronata is sometimes split as full species, White-crowned Cliff Chat.
Habitat
Areas with a mixture of rocks and trees.
Behaviour
Diet
Their mixed diet consists of figs, insects (including flying ants), spiders; also aloe nectar.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved August 2017)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Mocking Cliff Chat. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 12 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Mocking_Cliff_Chat
