| Blackstart | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Muscicapidae |
| Genus: | Oenanthe |
| Species: | Oenanthe melanura |
The Blackstart (Oenanthe melanura) is a sedentary chat seen in the desert regions of North Africa and the Middle East.
Subspecies[]
There are 6 subspecies of the Blackstart:
- O. m. melanura (Temminck, 1824) - northeast Egypt to Israel, Jordan and central Saudi Arabia
- O. m. neumanni (Ripley, 1952) - southwestern Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman
- O. m. lypura (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833) - central Sudan to Eritrea
- O. m. aussae (Thesiger & Meynell, 1934) - northeastern Ethiopia, Djibouti and northern Somalia
- O. m. airensis (Hartert, 1921) - northern Niger to central Sudan
- O. m. ultima (Bates, 1933) - east Mali and west Niger
Description[]
Blackstart with its black tail fanned.
The namesake black tail is characteristic of this distinctive 14-16 cm (5.5-6.3 in) long passerine. Rest of its plumage are bluish-grey or grey-brown, with the underparts having a lighter tone and the upperparts being darker. The flight feathers, alulae and all of primary coverts have dark brown tones edged with grey colors of the upperparts. The bill and legs are dark grey. The eye ring is light grey. North African birds have browner plumage, whereas those of Arabian birds are bluer. The sexes are identical.
Voice[]
Its song is a set of clear melancholic whistles: CHURlee... TRUloo... CHURlee...TRUlur..., with short phrases from the song also used as a call.
Behavior[]
The Blackstart usually hops on the ground, spreading its tail feathers out in many instances. It is quite a confident species, often unafraid of man.
Feeding[]
It feeds on insects mostly on the ground.
Breeding and Nesting[]
The pairs of this monogamous bird remain in the nesting territory throughout the year. It nests in rock crevices, between boulders, and in an abandoned burrow, where only the female bird builds the nest, which is a shallow bowl of grass and leaves, lays her 3-4 pale blue eggs, with little red-brown specks, and incubates them. Hatching after around two weeks, the chicks are fed by both parents and then fledge after about two weeks. Up to three broods can grow in a year.
Habitat[]
It inhabits rocky, hilly deserted terrain, such as dissected subdesert, stony desert with acacia and tamarisk, dry wadis, escarpments, ravines, and mountain slopes, all year-round.