African Stonechat

Saxicola torquatus (Linnaeus, 1766)

African Stonechat Saxicola torquatus is a chat in the family Muscicapidae, breeding in Africa from the south-western Arabian Peninsula through sub-Saharan Africa. It is also known as the common stonechat. The bird was once placed with the thrushes, but it belongs with the Old World flycatchers. Its name reflects its look and habitat, meaning a collared rock-dweller. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1766.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Muscicapidae — Chats, Old World Flycatchers

Breeding range

Africa: sw Arabian Pen. and Sub-Saharan Africa