Mystery Photo

[Jem Babbington]

Not sure if this is easy or difficult but have a go anyway.

Taken in Saudi Arabia - one of my better photographs of the species!

Jem
www.birdsofsaudiarabia.com

[MichaelF]

Arabian Warbler?

[Brian S]

Jem

I know you know what this is, but to help (and probably give the game away) I have lightened it...

Brian S

[MichaelF]

Looks more like a Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin now?

[Sherpa]

The tail alone is enough for an i.d. Agreed. Rufous Bushchat.

[Jem Babbington]

Thanks Brian for tidying up the photo for me - it was a bit dark on the original postin.

Well done to those who had a go at the 'mystery' - Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin is correct. As mentioned by Sherpa the tail was a bit of a give away, although otherwise not too many features to see.

Better photographs of what the bird actually looks like are at http://www.birdsofsaudiarabia.com/2011/07/rufous-tailed-scrub-robin.html

[LeeEvans]

Brilliant shots Jem - absolutely beautiful.

I treat syriacus as a separate species - EASTERN BUSHCHAT - based mainly on the noticeable differences in vocabulary. They are also very different in pluumage from Western Bushchat (galactotes) being much paler and greyer on the upperparts and therefore more heavily contrasting with the rufous-red tail and uppertail coverts, the tail is noticeably shorter with less distinctive white tips and more obvious black subterminal markings and a more striking head-pattern, highlighted by a more prominent white eye-stripe, a darker lateral crown-stripe, a darker moustachial stripe and a larger pale spot below the eye. The underparts are also very pale.

It is a very common breeding species in Turkey and unlike its Spanish counterpart, favours any type of open country and scrub, not just olive groves.

[Brian S]

Brilliant shots Jem - absolutely beautiful.

I treat syriacus as a separate species - EASTERN BUSHCHAT - based mainly on the noticeable differences in vocabulary. They are also very different in pluumage from Western Bushchat (galactotes) being much paler and greyer on the upperparts and therefore more heavily contrasting with the rufous-red tail and uppertail coverts, the tail is noticeably shorter with less distinctive white tips and more obvious black subterminal markings and a more striking head-pattern, highlighted by a more prominent white eye-stripe, a darker lateral crown-stripe, a darker moustachial stripe and a larger pale spot below the eye. The underparts are also very pale.

It is a very common breeding species in Turkey and unlike its Spanish counterpart, favours any type of open country and scrub, not just olive groves.

Lee

I just thought I would point out that galactotes breeds as far east as Israel and Syria. If you treat syriacus as a separate species it should be named as Cercotrichas familiaris syriacus as familiaris was described in 1832 and syriacus in 1833.

galactotes from Portugal http://www.flickr.com/photos/diniscortes/5527849606/
and from Israel http://www.flickr.com/photos/39392208@N04/4761239514/

familiaris from KZ http://www.birds.kz/Cercotrichas%20galactotes/largee.html?3&24

hamertoni from Somaliland http://web.mac.com/nikborrow/Nik_Borrow/Somaliland_%26_Djibouti_Birds.html#12 - scroll down
Brian S

[LeeEvans]

Many thanks Brian for your further clarification. The Western Bushchat (Cercotrichas galactotes) breeds in Spain, Portugal, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Sinai, Israel, Jordan and north to southern Syria and is strictly a summer visitor, wintering in the Sahel region of West Africa (where also the form minor is resident).

The Eastern Bushchat breeds in Greece and Turkey, probably northern Syria and Lebanon, and forms part of a cline with familiaris east into Transcaucasia and Iraq eastwards to Iran, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. Again, very highly migratory, wintering in Northeast Africa, in countries like Somalia and Kenya.

[Jem Babbington]

Many thanks Brian for your further clarification. The Western Bushchat (Cercotrichas galactotes) breeds in Spain, Portugal, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Sinai, Israel, Jordan and north to southern Syria and is strictly a summer visitor, wintering in the Sahel region of West Africa (where also the form minor is resident).

The Eastern Bushchat breeds in Greece and Turkey, probably northern Syria and Lebanon, and forms part of a cline with familiaris east into Transcaucasia and Iraq eastwards to Iran, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. Again, very highly migratory, wintering in Northeast Africa, in countries like Somalia and Kenya.

I have posted a note regarding the issue raised by Lee and have added a link back to this Surfbirds thread. The note includes a number of other photographs of Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin showing the plumage features pointed out by Lee in his post above.

Link Here http://www.birdsofsaudiarabia.com/2011/07/rufous-tailed-scrub-robin-two-different.html

Jem