Kingdom Animalia Order Passeriformes Genus Cercomela Higher classification Cercomela | Phylum Chordata Family Muscicapidae Scientific name Cercomela melanura Rank Species | |
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Similar Bird, Cercomela, Hooded wheatear, Mourning wheatear, White‑crowned wheatear | ||
Blackstart
The blackstart (Cercomela melanura) is a chat found in desert regions in North Africa, the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula.
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It is a 14–16 cm long bird named for its black tail, which is frequently fanned; the rest of its plumage is bluish-grey or grey-brown (North African races being browner, Middle Eastern races bluer). The sexes are similar, but the male on average has blacker lores. The song is a clear melancholy whistle: CHURlee...TRUloo...CHURlee...TRUlur..., with short phrases from the song used as a call.
It is a species of rocky deserts and mountain slopes which nests in a rock crevice where it lays its 3–5 eggs. It feeds on insects, taken mainly on the ground.
The blackstart is a confident species, unafraid of man.
The blackstart is included as the type species in the genus Cercomela. Molecular phylogenetic studies published in 2010 and 2012 found that the genus Cercomela was polyphyletic with five species, including the blackstart, phylogenetically nested within the genus Oenanthe, but many taxonomists continue to place the bird in Cercomela.
The flight of shrike and the blackstart
Detailed distribution
The blackstart is resident throughout its range.