Sickle-winged Chat

Overview

The Emarginata sinuata, commonly known as the sickle-winged chat, is a small passerine bird belonging to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. This species is endemic to southern Africa, where it serves as a common resident breeder.

Identification

• Approximately 15 cm in length with dark grey upperparts contrasting with off-white underparts.
• Distinctive brown wings and a rufous patch behind the eye.
• Buff-pink tail and rump featuring an inverted black wedge at the tail tip, paired with a short, straight black bill and brown eyes.
• Produces a chak-chak call and a warbled song.

Habitat

Inhabits Karoo scrub, short grassland, and barren sandy or stony areas, extending to agricultural land in western coastal regions. Its range covers South Africa and Lesotho, reaching into the southernmost parts of Botswana and Namibia.

Diet

Forages on the ground or at the base of trees for insects. It typically spends more time on the ground than similar species and runs swiftly when foraging.

Did you know?

The specific epithet sinuata translates to 'curved' in Latin, a nod to the bird's wing shape, although the genus was only formally separated from Cercomela following molecular phylogenetic studies published in 2010 and 2012.