Littoral Rock-Thrush
Monticola imerina
Chunky, mid-sized robin-like bird. Males are pale gray and orange, while females are gray-brown. Madagascar endemic that is found in coastal spiny forest and scrub in the southwest. Perches up conspicuously. Song is a variable mix of thin whistles and raspy notes. Paler than Forest Rock-Thrush, with little or no overlap in range. Female similar to female Madagascar Magpie-Robin, but smaller and grayer, without white patch in the wing.
Identification
As with the other rock thrushes, the littoral rock thrush is sexually dimorphic; the male has much more colorful plumage than the female does. He is pale gray on the head, breast, mantle and wing coverts, with dull orange underparts, gray-brown wings and a dark brown tail.
Taxonomy
When Gustav Hartlaub first described the littoral rock thrush in 1860, he assigned it to the genus Cossypha, believing it to be a robin-chat. It is monotypic, with no distinctive subspecies in its small range.
- Scientific name
- Monticola imerina
- Authority
- (Hartlaub, 1860)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Monticola
Range and habitat
Endemic to Madagascar, the littoral rock thrush is found only in the country's southern coastal region, from the Onilahy River to Lake Anony, just to the west of Tôlanaro (formerly Fort Dauphin). It prefers euphorbia bushes and low shrubs on sandy substrate or coral rag, and is found at elevations ranging from sea level to 200 m (660 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
Although the littoral rock thrush has a restricted range, its population appears to be stable, and the IUCN lists it as a species of Least Concern. However, the scrub habitat which it prefers is among the most degraded in Madagascar, and its population centers are largely outside of protected areas. Threats included clearing of scrub for agriculture, logging for firewood, and the presence of roaming livestock.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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Basileuterus melanotis
Small understory warbler, dull buffy-brown overall. Bold black stripes on head, including cheek patch. Sexes alike. Recalls Worm-eating Warbler but plumper with longer tail; face pattern different. Found in pairs or small flocks moving through the forest understory. Often with a mixed-species flock. Energetic twittering song is a good clue that there’s a flock nearby.
Orinoco Softtail
Thripophaga cherriei
Distinctive rounded-tailed rufous-brown bird of riverine habitats. Narrow buffy eyebrow and buffy streaks on cheeks and breast. Upperparts rufous-brown and underparts olive-brown; rich chestnut in chin, wings, rump, and tail. Rare, usually in pairs, found from understory to mid-level in riverine forest in very restricted range. Voice consists of repeated “CHEUP” notes, mostly in duet. Similar to Delta Amacuro Softtail (no range overlap), which is more streaked (including the head) and lacks buff eyebrow; Speckled Spinetail has a buffy (not orange) chin, paler head and breast with dark speckling, and a rufoud cap. Endemic to the Orinoco River and nearby tributaries in southwestern Venezuela and eastern Colombia.
Antarctic Tern
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A light gray medium-sized tern. Black cap extends to bill in breeding plumage. Bill and legs red. In non-breeding birds, cap reduced to just the area behind the eye, bill has dull pinkish color, and underparts are white. Breeds in the circumpolar subantarctic region. Generally known to stay close to their breeding sites. Migrating Arctic Tern could occur in the same area, but not in breeding plumage, and would show more prominent black markings on outer primaries. White-fronted Tern can be distinguished by its larger body, lighter coloring, and longer, thinner, all-black bill.
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