The rock thrushes, Monticola, are a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of chat

Chat (bird)

Chats are a group of small Old World insectivorous birds formerly classed as members of the thrush family Turdidae, but now considered Old World flycatchers....

s, medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous songbird

Songbird

A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...

s. They were in former times placed in the thrush family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Turdidae but actually belong in the closely related Muscicapidae. All are Old World

Old World

The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....

 birds, and most are associated with mountainous regions.

Three of the species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 are sometimes separated in Pseudocossyphus.

• Forest Rock Thrush, Monticola (Pseudocossyphus) sharpei
  • Benson's Rock Thrush, Monticola (Pseudocossyphus) (sharpei) bensoni
• Amber Mountain Rock-thrush
  Amber Mountain Rock-thrush
  The Amber Mountain Rock-thrush is a songbird in the family Muscicapidae, formerly placed in the Turdidae together with the other chats. It was for long included in the Forest Rock Thrush as a subspecies, but it is usually considered a separate species nowadays.It is endemic to Madagascar...
  
   Monticola (Pseudocossyphus) erythronotus
• Littoral Rock Thrush, Monticola (Pseudocossyphus) imerinus
• Cape Rock Thrush, Monticola rupestris
• Sentinel Rock Thrush, Monticola explorator
• Short-toed Rock Thrush, Monticola brevipes
• Miombo Rock Thrush, Monticola angolensis
• Common Rock Thrush, Monticola saxatilis
• Little Rock Thrush, Monticola rufocinereus
• Blue-capped Rock Thrush
  Blue-capped Rock Thrush
  The Blue-capped Rock Thrush Monticola cinclorhynchus is a species of chat. This thrush-like Old World flycatcher breeds in the foothills of the Himalayas and winters in the hill forests of southern India....
  
  , Monticola cinclorhynchus
• White-throated Rock Thrush, Monticola gularis
• Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush, Monticola rufiventris
• Blue Rock Thrush
  Blue Rock Thrush
  The Blue Rock Thrush is a species of chat. This thrush-like Old World flycatcher was formerly placed in the family Turdidae....
  
  , Monticola solitarius

External links

• Rock thrush videos on the Internet Bird Collection