Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush

Overview

The chestnut-bellied rock thrush (Monticola rufiventris) is a passerine bird belonging to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The species is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Males display a blue-grey crown and upperparts with deep chestnut undersides, while females feature dull grey-brown upperparts and scalloped slate-grey underparts with buffy-white tones.
• Distinctive whitish-buff eyerings and post-auricular patches are present on both sexes.
• Individuals measure between 21 and 23 cm in length and weigh approximately 48 to 61 g.

Habitat

Native to the Himalayas, Purvanchal Range, and southern China, this bird inhabits temperate forests. It is an altitudinal migrant, with some populations moving to northern Indochina during the winter.

Did you know?

The species name rufiventris is Modern Latin for 'red-bellied', referencing the bird's rufous belly, although the original binomial name Turdus erythogaster was already in use for a different species by 1783.