COMMON STONECHAT

Photographed at Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Nepal March 2017

(*  443)                COMMON STONECHAT             Taxicola torquatus      

NEPAL                   50

Sometimes lumped with Siberian Stonechat but relationship still not clear. 12.2-13 cm. Breeds in open country with bushes, including high altitude semi-desert; winters in scrub, reeds and cultivation. Common and widespread resident, winter visitor and passage migrant.

AFRICAN STONECHAT

African Stonechat, male

433           AFRICAN STONECHAT            Saxicola torquatus

South Africa            (101)

Used to be referred to collectively as Common Stonechat. Inhabits sub-Saharan Africa, in Southern Africa distributed across central north to the east, down eastern half and across south. Found in grassland, fynbos and scrub, often on fringes of wetlands or forest edges. Occurs singly or in pairs, perching on twigs or stems and dropping into the grass to feed

African Stonechat, female.