Thursday, August 4, 2022

European Stonechat

I saw a couple of European stonechats in the Tagus River Estuary just south of Lisbon. The summer male, which I saw, has black upperparts, a black head, an orange throat and breast, and a white belly, vent, a white scapular patch on the wings and a small white patch on the rump which is often streaked with black. The female, on the other hand, has brown upperparts and head, no white neck patches, rump or belly (the only white being the scapular patch on the wings). 

They are non-migratory or short-distance migrants. It is found in Europe and some winter in North Africa and the Middle East. 

1 comment:

  1. The female looks just a bit more colorful than the male. Is that possible?

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