Karoo Chat

Photo by nkgray

Emarginata schlegelii

Cercomela schlegelii

Identification

Length 16-18 cm, mass 25-35 g. It has grey upperparts and a black tail with white outer feathers. Its underparts are white and the bill, legs and feet are black and the eyes are dark. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile is spotted with buff and has scaly underparts.

Distribution

Southwestern Angola, western Namibia and western South Africa.

Taxonomy

Emarginata schlegelii has five subspecies:

• E. s. benguellensis

• Coastal South-western Angola

• E. s. schlegelii

• Coastal Namibia

• E. s. namaquensis

• Southern Namibia to north-western South Africa

• E. s. kobosensis

• Namibia

• E. s. pollux

• Western and central South Africa

Habitat

Desert scrub.

Behaviour

It builds a cup-shaped nest of straw and leaves on the ground, usually under a bush or shrub. 2-4 green eggs are laid.

Diet includes insects such as butterflies, bees, wasps, locusts and ants. Prey is typically taking in a short flight.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Karoo Chat. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Karoo_Chat

External Links

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