Three-streaked Tchagra
Tchagra jamesi
A mostly gray tchagra of dry country. Of the three fine namesake streaks, two run through the eyes and one along the top of the head. The mostly rufous wings and white tail tips are conspicuous in flight. Found in areas of dry savanna and thornscrub with dense undergrowth. Generally uncommon and inconspicuous. Reminiscent of Brown-crowned and Black-crowned Tchagras, but separated by the gray head, which lacks buff eyebrows. The song is a descending series of whistles, often given in a parachuting display flight, similar to the song of Brown-crowned Tchagra, but slightly higher-pitched.
Identification
It is a small tchagra, measuring 16–17 cm from bill tip to tail tip. They are distinct from other tchagra species in having a narrow, black median stripe over the crown, without any superciliary stripe. In addition the tertials and rectrices are mouse-brown in colour.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Tchagra jamesi
- Authority
- (Shelley, 1885)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Malaconotidae
- Genus
- Tchagra
Range and habitat
It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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