Class Aves Family Muscicapidae Scientific name Monticola erythronotus | Phylum Chordata Order Passeriformes Genus Monticola Rank Species | |
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Similar Forest rock thrush, Benson's rock thrush, Littoral rock thrush, Oberländer's ground thrush, Mountain robin‑chat | ||
The Amber Mountain rock thrush (Monticola sharpei erythronotus) is a songbird in the family Muscicapidae, formerly placed in the Turdidae together with the other chats. It is now usually considered a subspecies of the forest rock thrush.
Contents
Distribution
The Amber Mountain rock thrush is endemic to Madagascar where it occurs only on the Amber Mountain massif in the north of the island.
Description
This is a small forest-dwelling thrush. Males have blue hoods, chestnut upperparts, bright orange tail with brown central feathers and orange underparts. Females are mostly brown with an orange wash on the underparts and lack the blue hood. Males are distinguished from other rock-thrushes by the dark rufous back, while the females have bright orange tails and lack white streaking on the breast.
Habitat and ecology
It inhabits mid-altitude and montane humid, evergreen forest from 800–1,300 m (2,600–4,300 ft), and forages inconspicuously in the understorey and on the ground. The species nests in tree hollows or in crevices under overhangs.
Conservation status
The Amber Mountain rock thrush is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources as Endangered because it has a very small range and its forest habitat is declining in both area and quality. The population is small and believed to be declining, albeit slowly. The total population of this species is estimated to number less than 5,000 individuals, which occur in a single block of forest in the Amber Mountain National Park. It may be declining, although so far there has been relatively low levels of habitat loss in the area of its occurrence.