Difference between revisions of "Mountain Wheatear" - BirdForum Opus

Latest revision as of 22:03, 30 March 2023

Male Mountain Wheatear
Photo © by GarethH
Suikerbosrand NR, South Africa

Myrmecocichla monticola

Oenanthe monticola

Identification

Length 18-20 cm, mass about 35 g.

Adult male: There are several colour morphs; body plumage may be pale grey or black, and the crown may be white, grey or black. The wings are very dark brown or black with a white shoulder patch which varies in size (sometimes all black). The tail pattern is distinctive, with a white rump and outer tail feathers. The legs and pointed bill are black.

Adult female: Dark brown, with a white rump and outer tail.

Female Mountain Wheatear
Photo © by Alan Manson
Qwantani Resort, Sterkfontein Dam, Free State, South Africa

Distribution

Southern Africa: found in

Graphic © by Nrg800

Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, western eSwatini extreme southern Botswana and western Angola.

Taxonomy

Formerly classed as a member of the Thrush family (Turdidae), but is now more generally considered to be an Old-World Flycatcher (Family Muscicapidae).
Previously placed in genus Oenanthe.

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized^[1].

M. m. albipileata:

Coastal Angola (Benguela escarpment)

M. m. nigricauda:

Angola (highlands of Huambo and southern Cuanza Sul)

M. m. atmorii:

Northern Namibia (south to Damaraland)

M. m. monticola:

Southern Namibia, South Africa (east to Limpopo and western KwaZulu-Natal), Lesotho, and western eSwatini

Habitat

Mountains and rocky areas.

Behaviour

Food: Mainly insects, but also other invertebrates, seeds and berries.

Breeding: Nests on the ground amongst rocks; 2-4 white eggs are laid June to March.

Gallery

Click on photo for larger image:

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. ISBN 0620340533

External Links

Search for photos of Mountain Wheatear in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-;Oenanthe monticola
+[[Image:Mountain_Wheatear.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Male Mountain Wheatear<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|GarethH|GarethH}}<br />Suikerbosrand NR, [[South Africa]]]]
-[[Image:Mountain_Wheatear.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by GarethH]]
+;[[:Category:Myrmecocichla|Myrmecocichla]] monticola
+''Oenanthe monticola''
 ==Identification==
-Photo Taken: Suikerbosrand NR, South Africa
+Length 18-20 cm, mass about 35 g.
-The Mountain Wheatear or Mountain Chat, Oenanthe monticola, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae.
-This non-migratory wheatear is resident in mountainous and rocky habitats in Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and southernmost Angola.
+'''Adult male:''' There are several colour morphs; body plumage may be pale grey or black, and the crown may be white, grey or black. The wings are very dark brown or black with a white shoulder patch which varies in size (sometimes all black). The tail pattern is distinctive, with a white rump and outer tail feathers. The legs and pointed bill are black.
-Mountain Wheatear is 18-20 cm long, and like other wheatears, it has a distinctive tail pattern, with a white rump and outer tail feathers. Its legs and pointed bill are black.
+'''Adult female:''' Dark brown, with a white rump and outer tail.
-The male is very variable in plumage, although the tail pattern and a white shoulder patch are always present.a white and black bird. The body plumage varies from pale grey to almost black, and it may or may not have a white crown to the head. The female is entirely dark brown apart from the white rump and outer tail.
+[[Image:2006_0107_Female_Mountain_Wheatear.jpg|thumb|450px|right|Female Mountain Wheatear<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Alan+Manson|Alan Manson}}<br />Qwantani Resort, Sterkfontein Dam, Free State, [[South Africa]]]]
+==Distribution==
+'''Southern Africa''': found in
+[[Image:Mountain_Wheatear.png|thumb|350px|right|Graphic &copy; by {{user|Nrg800|Nrg800}}]]
+[[Namibia]], [[South Africa]], [[Lesotho]], western [[eSwatini]] extreme southern [[Botswana]] and western [[Angola]].
-The Mountain Wheatear’s song is a clear melodic whistle interspersed with harsh chatters. It is monogamous and nests on the ground amongst rocks, laying 2-4 white eggs. It eats insects and berries.
+==Taxonomy==
+Formerly classed as a member of the Thrush family ([[:Category:Turdidae|Turdidae]]), but is now more generally considered to be an Old-World Flycatcher (Family [[:Category:Muscicapidae|Muscicapidae]]).<br />
+Previously placed in genus ''[[:Category:Oenanthe|Oenanthe]]''.
+====Subspecies====
+Four subspecies are recognized<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>.
+*''M. m. albipileata'':
+:*Coastal [[Angola]] (Benguela escarpment)
+*''M. m. nigricauda'':
+:*Angola (highlands of Huambo and southern Cuanza Sul)
+*''M. m. atmorii'':
+:*Northern [[Namibia]] (south to Damaraland)
+*''M. m. monticola'':
+:*Southern Namibia, [[South Africa]] (east to Limpopo and western KwaZulu-Natal), [[Lesotho]], and western [[eSwatini]]
+==Habitat==
+Mountains and rocky areas.
+==Behaviour==
+Food: Mainly insects, but also other invertebrates, seeds and berries.
+'''Breeding''': Nests on the ground amongst rocks; 2-4 white eggs are laid June to March.
+==Gallery==
+Click on photo for larger image:
+<gallery>
+Image:29749Mountain_Wheatear_safariranger_DaanViljoenGR_Namibia.jpg|Male Mountain Wheatear - black-bellied morph<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|safariranger|safariranger}}<br>Daan Viljoen Game Reserve, [[Namibia]]
+Image:23133mt_chat_MeganPerkins_DaanViljoen_Namibia.jpg|Male Mountain Wheatear - black-crowned morph<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Megan+Perkins|Megan Perkins}}<br />Daan Viljoen Game Reserve, [[Namibia]]
+</gallery>
+==References==
+#{{Ref-Clements6thOct22}}#Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. ISBN 0620340533
 ==External Links==
+{{GSearch|"Myrmecocichla monticola" {{!}} "Oenanthe monticola" {{!}} "Mountain Wheatear"}}
+{{GS-checked}}1
+<br />
+<br />
-[[Category:Birds]]
+[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Maps]] [[Category:Myrmecocichla]]