Monticole of rock

The monticole of rock ( Monticola saxatilis ) is a Passereau traditionally called blackbird of rock .

Description

Appearance

It measures between 17 and 20 cm, and weighs between 42 and 65 G. The male with the head and the neck blue-gray, the orange red belly to the tail, and ends of the wings dark chestnut, with a white trace on the back. The female and the small ones are less visible, with the upper parts dark chestnut, and the paler lower parts. Their tail is rougeoyante.

Song

The song of the male is clear and mélodieux.

Lifestyle

Food mode

It nourishes mainly insects of big size and bays.

Reproduction

The nest is on the ground, in stony recesses or the rock. The female lays 4-5 eggs, which it broods 2 weeks.

Habitat

Mountainsides and meadows above an altitude of 1500 Mr.

Distribution

Europe of the South and of the East, by places in North Africa, with the the Middle East and the the Middle East until the China. The European population gathers 200.000 to 630.000 individuals. The bird is migratory, and winters in the south of the the Sahara. It is a rare visitor in Northern Europe.

The extent of its habitat was somewhat reduced these last decades, because of the destruction of its habitat. Thus at the beginning of the 20th century, he lived in the mountains of the the Polish Jura, where he is today completely absent (Tomek & Bocheński 2005). However he is not considered in danger on a worldwide scale, thanks to his still many population, and his inhabited surface estimated between 1.000.000 and 10.000.000 km ² (IUCN).

External bonds

Card and photographs on oiseaux.net

Photographs

Photography of a male and a female
Male and female
Male Monticole of rock

References

Tomek , Teresa & Bocheński , Zygmunt (2005): Holocene Weichselian and bird remains from Hollow Komarowa, Central Poland. Acta zoologica cracoviensia 48A (1-2): 43-65. full text in pdf

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