Pied Bush Chat

Overview

The pied bush chat (Saxicola caprata) is a small passerine bird classified as a Old World flycatcher, previously placed in the thrush family Turdidae. It is a familiar resident breeder across tropical southern Asia, with a range extending from the Greater Middle East and Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

Identification

• Plumage: Males are black with a white rump, wing patch and lower belly; females are drab brown and slightly streaked with no white wing patches, while juveniles are speckled on the underside.
• Size and Structure: At 13 cm, it is slightly smaller than the Siberian stonechat but shares a similar dumpy structure and upright stance.
• Features: The iris is dark brown, while the bill and legs are black.
• Vocalisation: The whistling call has been transcribed as "we are tea for two" with the second "tea" at a higher note.

Habitat

This species inhabits open habitats including countryside, scrub, grassland and cultivation, often perching atop short thorn trees or shrubs. Its range covers tropical southern Asia from the Greater Middle East through the Indian subcontinent eastwards to Indonesia, where it is a resident breeder.

Diet

The pied bush chat is insectivorous, hunting from a prominent low perch to pick up insects mainly from the ground. It has been specifically noted to feed on Pyralid moths and whitefly.

Did you know?

According to Toda folklore in the Nilgiris, the bird's white wing patches originated when a dairy priest flicked butter off his hands onto it while the bird tried to block his path. The pied bush chat also serves as a host for the common cuckoo, which visits nests at dusk to remove an egg and lay its own in the Shan State of Burma.