Cape Rock-thrush
Encyclopedia
The Cape Rock Thrush is a member of the thrush
family of bird
s. This rock thrush
breeds in eastern and southern South Africa
. It is a common endemic resident, non-migratory
apart from seasonal altitudinal movements in some areas.
This species breeds in mountainous rocky areas with scattered vegetation. It lays 2-3 egg
s in a cup nest in a rock cavity or on a ledge. It eats a wide range of insects and other small animals, and some berries.
This is a large stocky rock thrush 19–21 cm in length . The summer male has a blue-grey head, orange underparts and outer tail feathers, and brown wings and back.
Females have a brown head, but their underparts are a much richer orange than those of other female rock thrushes. The outer tail feathers are reddish, like the male's. Immatures are like the female, but the upperparts have buff spots and the underparts show black scaling.
The male Cape Rock Thrush has a whistled song tsee-tsee-tseet-chee-chweeeoo, and occasionally mimics other birds.
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
family of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s. This rock thrush
Rock thrush
The rock thrushes, Monticola, are a genus of chats, medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous songbirds. They were in former times placed in the thrush family Turdidae but actually belong in the closely related Muscicapidae...
breeds in eastern and southern South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is a common endemic resident, non-migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
apart from seasonal altitudinal movements in some areas.
This species breeds in mountainous rocky areas with scattered vegetation. It lays 2-3 egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s in a cup nest in a rock cavity or on a ledge. It eats a wide range of insects and other small animals, and some berries.
This is a large stocky rock thrush 19–21 cm in length . The summer male has a blue-grey head, orange underparts and outer tail feathers, and brown wings and back.
Females have a brown head, but their underparts are a much richer orange than those of other female rock thrushes. The outer tail feathers are reddish, like the male's. Immatures are like the female, but the upperparts have buff spots and the underparts show black scaling.
The male Cape Rock Thrush has a whistled song tsee-tsee-tseet-chee-chweeeoo, and occasionally mimics other birds.