Sickle-winged Chat
Encyclopedia
The Sickle-winged Chat, Cercomela sinuata, is a small passerine
bird
of the Old World flycatcher
family
Muscicapidae endemic to southern Africa
. It is a common resident breeder in South Africa
and Lesotho
, and is also found in southernmost areas of Botswana
and Namibia
. Its habitat is Karoo
scrub, short grassland, and barren sandy or stony areas. In western coastal areas, it also occurs on agricultural land.
of black at the end of the tail. Its underparts are off-white, the short straight bill, legs and feet are black and the eye is brown. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile has buff tips to its feathers.
The contrast between the dark upperparts and the much paler underparts distinguish this species from the more uniformly coloured Familiar Chat
. It also has the pale salmon-buff on the rump extending only onto the base of the tail, whereas the Familiar Chat has a richer hue which almost reaches the tail’s tip.
The Sickle-winged Chat has a chak-chak call and a warbled song.
The Sickle-winged Chat is usually seen singly or in pairs. It forages on the ground or at the base of trees for insect
s.
In comparison with the Familiar Chat, it spends more time on the ground and runs more swiftly. It flicks its wings, but less frequently than the Familiar Chat.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
of the Old World flycatcher
Old World flycatcher
The Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae is a large family of small passerine birds mostly restricted to the Old World. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing.-Characteristics:...
family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
Muscicapidae endemic to southern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. It is a common resident breeder in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
, and is also found in southernmost areas of Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
and Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
. Its habitat is Karoo
Karoo
The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
scrub, short grassland, and barren sandy or stony areas. In western coastal areas, it also occurs on agricultural land.
Description
The Sickle-winged Chat is 14–15 cm long and weighs around 19 gm. Its upperparts are dark grey, but it has brown wings and a rufous patch behind the eye. The tail and rump are buff-pink, with an inverted wedgeInverted wedge
The inverted wedge is a military formation resembling a "V" or inverted triangle, and is sometimes known as a "V-formation". In the inverted wedge, two units advance abreast of each other, and a third unit follows behind and between the two, in reserve...
of black at the end of the tail. Its underparts are off-white, the short straight bill, legs and feet are black and the eye is brown. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile has buff tips to its feathers.
The contrast between the dark upperparts and the much paler underparts distinguish this species from the more uniformly coloured Familiar Chat
Familiar Chat
The Familiar Chat, Cercomela familiaris, is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is a common resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara in rocky and mountainous habitat and around human habitation.-Description:...
. It also has the pale salmon-buff on the rump extending only onto the base of the tail, whereas the Familiar Chat has a richer hue which almost reaches the tail’s tip.
The Sickle-winged Chat has a chak-chak call and a warbled song.
Behaviour
The Sickle-winged Chat builds a cup-shaped nest of straw and leaves on the ground, usually under a bush or shrub. It lays two to four green or blue eggs. This species is monogamous, mating for life.The Sickle-winged Chat is usually seen singly or in pairs. It forages on the ground or at the base of trees for insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s.
In comparison with the Familiar Chat, it spends more time on the ground and runs more swiftly. It flicks its wings, but less frequently than the Familiar Chat.