Female Cape Rock Thrush (Monticola rupestris) Perching On A Branch
The Cape rock thrush is a member of the thrush family of birds. This rock thrush breeds in eastern and southern South Africa. It is a common endemic resident, non-migratory apart from seasonal altitudinal movements in some areas. This species breeds in mountainous rocky areas with scattered vegetation. It lays 2-3 eggs in a cup nest in a rock cavity or on a ledge. It eats a wide range of insects and other small animals, and some berries. This is a large stocky rock thrush 19–21 cm in length. The summer male has a blue-grey head, orange underparts and outer tail feathers, and brown wings and back. Females (pictured here) have a brown head, but their underparts are a much richer orange than those of other female rock thrushes. The outer tail feathers are reddish, like the male's. Immatures are like the female, but the upperparts have buff spots and the underparts show black scaling. The male Cape rock thrush has a whistled song tsee-tsee-tseet-chee-chweeeoo, and occasionally mimics other birds. It is a monogamous, solitary nester, with the male vigorously defending his territory against both other males and other species. It has even been observed chasing and attacking another male which dared wander into its territory. The nest is a messy platform built of twigs, grass, roots and soil, with a cup-shaped cavity set into the top. It is typically placed in a rock crevice or on the ledge of a cliff or building, sometimes reusing the same nest over multiple breeding seasons. Egg-laying season is from September-February, peaking from September-December, when it lays 2-4 eggs, which are mainly incubated by the female for about 14-16 days. The chicks are fed by both parents on a diet of arthropods, leaving the nest after about 16 days and becoming fully independent about 10 days later.
Size: 3173px × 2116px
Location: Amakhala, South Africa
Photo credit: © John Porter LRPS / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: africa, african, aggressive, amakhala, bird, birds, breast, brown, cape, conspicuous, conspicuously, female, head, migration, migratory, mimic, monticola, orange, ornithology, perch, perched, perching, rock, rupestris, small, south, southern, territorial, thrush
