Blackstart

Oenanthe melanura

A small wheatear. Overall lead-gray with a prominent black tail which it fans continuously; often hops on the ground. Lives in rocky deserts and semi-arid zones; often found in desert wadis near trees and bushes and sometimes around human habitation. Can be very tame and bold. Its song is a beautiful, melancholic series of flutey syllables.

Identification

The blackstart is around 14 cm (5.5 in) in length with a wingspan of 23–27 cm (9.1–10.6 in) and a weight of around 15 g (0.53 oz). The nominate race O. m. melanura has blueish ash-grey upperparts with darker wings and a black rump and tail. The belly and under-wings are greyish white; the bill and legs are black. The sexes are similar. The North African subspecies O. m. lypura and O. m. airensis are browner than the nominate.

Taxonomy

The first formal description of the blackstart was by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1824 under the binomial name Saxicola melanura. The blackstart was included as the type species in the genus Cercomela introduced by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1856. Molecular phylogenetic studies published in 2010 and 2012 found that the genus Cercomela was polyphyletic with five species, including the blackstart, phylogenetically nested within the genus Oenanthe. As part of a reorganization of the species to create monotypic genera, the blackstart was assigned to the genus Oenanthe.<p>The specific epithet melanura is from the classical Greek melanouros meaning "with a black tail" from melas "black" and oura "tail".<p>There are 6 subspecies:<p>The subspecies differ slightly in the colour of their plumage.

Scientific name
Oenanthe melanura
Authority
(Temminck, 1824)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Muscicapidae
Genus
Oenanthe

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Behavior

Migration pattern: Resident species.

Conservation

Population trend: stable.

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

African Thrush

African Thrush

Turdus pelios

This widespread thrush shows a large amount of geographical variation. The upperparts are generally gray-brown, while the underparts can be buff, gray, or rufous. All across the range, shows a yellow bill. Found in a range of habitats, including forest edge, woodland, gardens, and cultivation. In areas without Abyssinian Thrush, also occurs in montane forest. The song is a pretty, variable series of chatty whistles and trills which can continue for a long time without a pause. Similar to Abyssinian Thrush, but found at lower elevations in areas of overlap, and is generally paler, with a paler yellow bill.

Copperback Quail-thrush

Copperback Quail-thrush

Cinclosoma clarum

Heavily patterned terrestrial bird of Western Australia and western South Australia. White eyebrow and moustache, with deep chestnut brown back and intricately patterned wing. Female has white belly and gray chest, male white belly, gray flanks, and black chest and throat. Note gray sides rather than warm brown sides of Cinnamon and Nullarbor quail-thrushes. Usually seen walking around in areas of open woodland and shrubland. Call is a long, high-pitched whistled "seeeep."

White-tailed Emerald

White-tailed Emerald

Microchera chionura

Small hummingbird with restricted range in Costa Rica and western Panama. Male is mostly glittering emerald with a bright white lower belly and outer tail feathers. Female similar, but white extends up to the throat. Both sexes have relatively short and very slightly decurved bill. Compare with Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, which has coppery shoulders and rump and lacks white in tail. Found in the foothills of the Pacific slope, from around 800–2,200m, where it occurs in forest, edges, and gardens.

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