Collalba Abisinia

Identificación

The Abyssinian wheatear is a dark wheatear which shows sexual dichromatism, with the males being darker than the females. The males have black upperparts, throat and breast and a grey cap with darker streaks. The colour of the belly varies, both within individuals and geographic populations, from white to black. The females are mainly dark brown with heavy streaking on their paler breast and belly. Both males and females have buff under tail coverts, and the tail has a black inverted T pattern on a buff background, best seen in flight. The length of the nominate subspecies is 14 cm (5.5 in).<p>The three subspecies of Abyssinian wheatear vary as follows:

Taxonomía

The Abyssinian wheatear was first formally described in 1837 as Saxicola lugubris by the German naturalist and explorer Eduard Rüppell with its type locality given as "the rocky valleys of the Abyssinian province of Simien, and on the volcanic hills around Gondar" (Vorkommen in der felsigen Thälern der Abyssinischen provinz Simen, und auf der vulkanischen Hügeln um Gondar). It is regarded, by some authorities, as being the same species as the mourning wheatear (Oenanthe lugens) of Northern Africa and the Middle East but the I.O.C. regard it as a valid species. The Abyssinian wheatear is regarded as closely related to the Arabian wheatear (Oenanthe lugentoides), which has also been regarded as being the same species as the mourning wheatear. These species may form a species complex.<p>The I.O.C. recognises the following subspecies: <p>Schalow's wheatear (O. l. schalowi) from the highlands of southern Kenya and northeastern Tanzania is regarded as a valid species by some authorities but the I.O.C. has pended its endorsement of this position while it waits for the results of genetic studies to be published. O. l. vauriei is found in northeastern Somalia.

Nombre científico

Oenanthe lugubris

Autoridad

(Rüppell, 1837)

Orden

Passeriformes

Familia

Muscicápidos

Género

Oenanthe

Distribución y hábitat

The Abyssinian wheatear is found in northeastern Africa, from Eritrea and northwestern Somalia south to northeastern Tanzania. The subspecies schalowi occurs in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania, while vauriei in eastern Somalia, and they both have disjunct ranges from the nominate subspecies of Eritrea, Ethiopia, and northwestern Somalia. This bird occurs in rocky areas where there are some trees and bushes.

Migración

Especie residente

Comportamiento

Patrón migratorio: Especie residente.

Conservación

Tendencia poblacional: estable.

Tendencia poblacional

estable