Siberian Stonechat
Saxicola maurus
A small winter chat, perched atop the weeds.
Seen atBarechhina ·Kunja
Opens recordings on xeno-canto, the open bird-sound archive.
What the hills call it
Pathchata
/ path·cha·taa /पथचटा
Siberian Stonechat — A small winter chat, perched atop the weeds.
Field notes
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae · Old World flycatchers
- Genus
- Saxicola
- Length
- 12–14 cm
- Weight
- 13–17 g
- At Kunja
- Winter visitor — in the cold months
- Conservation
- Least Concern
How to know it
A small upright chat; the male has a black head, white neck-patches and an orange breast, the female a streaky brown. Perches high and flicks its wings.
What it eats
Insects, dropped onto from a low, exposed perch.
Where & when to spot it
On the tops of weeds, bushes and fence-posts in open country through winter, dropping to the ground and back to the perch.
Nesting & mating
Breeds farther north in summer; a cup low in cover, four to six eggs.
In the lens
Siberian Stonechat, photographed at Barechhina
Photographs by Manohar Negi · mnegi.com — tap any photo to view it full
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