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Saxicola maura

Saxicola maura (*)

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Aves
Subclassis: Carinatae
Infraclassis: Neornithes
Parvclassis: Neognathae
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Parvordo: Passerida
Superfamilia: Muscicapoidea
Familia: Muscicapidae
Genus: Saxicola
Species: Saxicola maura
Subspecies: S. m. armenica - S. m. indica - S. m. maura - S. m. przewalskii - S. m. stejnegeri - S. m. variegata


Saxicola maura (Pallas, 1773)


Description, systematics and taxonomy





Systematics and taxonomy

There are five or six subspecies, with S. m. maurus (described above) and the doubtfully distinct and very similar S. m. stejnegeri found across northern and central Asia. The southern S. m. variegatus (west of the Caspian Sea), S. m. armenicus (eastern Turkey to Iran), S. m. indicus (Himalaya) and the Turkestan Stonechat S. m. przewalskii (southwest China) are distinguished by larger white areas on the plumage.[3]

In the past, S. maurus was usually included in S. torquatus as part of the "Common Stonechat", but that scientific name nowadays is restricted to the African Stonechat. Analysis of mtDNA cytochrome b sequence and nDNA microsatellite fingerprinting data, though not unequivocal, together with the evidence from morphology, behaviour and biogeography confirms the suspicion that the present bird is a distinct species. The European Stonechat is its western sister species in the Eurasian lineage of stonechats; their ancestors separated during the Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene, roughly 1.5-2.5 million years ago at the onset of the Quaternary glaciation.[4]

Its scientific name means "dark rock-dweller". Saxicola derives from Latin saxum "rock" + incola "inhabitant"; maurus is Latinized from Greek maúros (μαύρος) "black" (cf. "moor"), in reference to the upperpart color as compared to S. rubicola.

Distribution and ecology

The breeding range covers most of temperate Asia, from about latitude 71°N in Siberia south to the Himalaya and southwest China, and west to eastern Turkey and the Caspian Sea area. It also breeds in the far northeast of Europe, mainly in Russia but occasionally as far west as Finland.[5]

The wintering range of the migratory bird is from southern Japan south to Thailand and India, and west to northeast Africa. On migration, small numbers reach as far west as western Europe, and exceptionally as far east as Alaska in North America.[1]

The Siberian Stonechat is insectivorous. It breeds in open rough scrubland or rough grassland with scattered shrubs, from sea level to about 4,000 m ASL or more. The birds seem to avoid even cool temperate conditions and stay up north only during the hot continental summer. In the montane regions of the Himalaya foothills of Bhutan, migrants can on occasion be seen foraging in fields and pastures more than 2,000 m ASL, but most move further down and south to winter in tropical regions.[6]

Though it is not considered a distinct species by the IUCN as of yet, it is widespread and common and would not be considered a threatened species.[7]


1. ^ a b c d Robertson (1977), Stoddart (1992), Urquhart & Bowley (2002)
2. ^ Urquhart & Bowley (2002)
3. ^ Bangs (1932), Urquhart & Bowley (2002)
5. ^ Robertson (1977), Urquhart & Bowley (2002)
6. ^ Bangs (1932), Inskipp et al. (2000), Urquhart & Bowley (2002)
7. ^ BLI (2009)


* Bangs, Outram (1932): Birds of western China obtained by the Kelley-Roosevelts expedition. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Zool. Ser. 18(11): 343-379. Fulltext at the Internet Archive
* BirdLife International (BLI) (2008). Saxicola torquatus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 12 May 2009.
* Inskipp, Carol; Inskipp, Tim & Sherub (2000): The ornithological importance of Thrumshingla National Park, Bhutan. Forktail 14: 147-162. PDF fulltext
* Robertson, Iain (1977): Identification and European status of eastern Stonechats Brit. Birds 70: 237-245.
* Stoddart, Andy (1992): Identification of Siberian Stonechat Birding World 5(9): 348-356.

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