African Stonechat
The African stonechat or common stonechat (Saxicola torquatus) is a species of the Old World flycatcher family (Muscicapidae), inhabiting sub-Saharan Africa and adjacent regions. Like the other chats, it was long assigned to the thrush family (Turdidae), to which the chats are convergent. Its scientific name refer to its appearance and habitat and means "collared rock-dweller": Saxicola from Latin saxum ("rock") + incola ("one who dwells in a place"), torquatus, Latin for "collared". In the past S. torquatus usually referred to the entire "common stonechat" superspecies and some sources still keep it that way, but all available evidence strongly supports full species status for the European (S. rubicola) and the Siberian stonechat (S. maurus) of temperate Eurasia, in addition to the island-endemics Fuerteventura chat (S. dacotiae) and Réunion stonechat (S. tectes) which were never unequivocally accepted into S. torquatus. The Madagascar stonechat (S. t. sibilla) has sometimes been considered distinct. In addition, the well-marked populations of the Horn of Africa uplands may well qualify for an additional species. == Systematics and taxonomy == In 1760, the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the African Stonechat in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected from the Cape of…
Arusha National Park
Tanzania
+132 birds+30 mammals
Where the volcanic slopes of Mount Meru rise dramatically from Tanzania’s northern highlands, a landscape of extraordinary ecological diversity unfolds […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBwindi Impenetrable National Park
Kanyashogi, Uganda
+132 birds+29 mammals
Steep valleys plunge through a tapestry of montane forest where mist clings to ancient trees and the undergrowth thrums with […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKVolcanoes National Park
Musanze District, Uganda
+111 birds+14 mammals
Where misty volcanic slopes rise through dense montane forest, the Virunga Mountains create one of Africa’s most dramatic ecosystems. These […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMgahinga Gorilla National Park
Cyanika, Uganda
+132 birds+30 mammals
Where the Virunga volcanic chain rises in southwestern Uganda, montane forest cloaks three dormant peaks in an emerald embrace. The […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTsavo West National Park
Mwatate, Kenya
+132 birds+30 mammals
Where volcanic rock formations pierce the savanna and sulfurous springs bubble beneath rust-coloured earth, Kenya’s southwestern wilderness reveals itself in […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMount Elgon National Park
Matumbei ward, Kenya
+142 birds+20 mammals
Where ancient volcanic slopes rise across the Kenya-Uganda border, Mount Elgon commands the landscape as one of East Africa’s most […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKilimanjaro National Park
Kenya
+132 birds+30 mammals
Where Africa’s tallest mountain rises in solitary majesty, moorland grasslands give way to dense montane forests draped in moss and […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKitulo National Park
Tanzania
+94 birds+15 mammals
Where the Southern Highlands of Tanzania rise above the clouds, rolling montane grasslands sweep across a landscape sculpted by water […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNgorongoro Conservation Area
Tanzania
+123 birds+30 mammals
Where the East African plateau drops away into a vast amphitheatre of volcanic splendour, a 600-square-kilometre caldera cradles one of […]
VIEW WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAGarden Route National Park
George, South Africa
+126 birds+30 mammals
Where fynbos-clad mountains plunge into temperate forests and pristine coastline, one of Africa’s most ecologically diverse reserves sprawls across nearly […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCederberg Wilderness Area
Cederberg Local Municipality, South Africa
+106 birds+26 mammals
Where granite gorges slice through weathered sandstone mountains, the Cederberg’s dramatic topography reveals a landscape shaped by ancient geological forces. […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAgulhas National Park
Cape Agulhas Local Municipality, South Africa
+106 birds+30 mammals
Where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans collide along Africa’s southernmost tip, a rugged coastline of limestone cliffs and windswept grasslands […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSehlabathebe National Park
South Africa
+12 birds+6 mammals
Where the Drakensberg peaks surrender to alpine grassland, a remote mountain sanctuary guards one of southern Africa’s most pristine ecosystems. […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMountain Zebra National Park
Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality, South Africa
+123 birds+30 mammals
Jagged sandstone peaks rise abruptly from the high interior plateau of the Eastern Cape, their weathered faces sculpted by millennia […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBontebok National Park
Swellendam Local Municipality, South Africa
+101 birds+30 mammals
Dawn breaks over rippling grasslands where the Breede River carves a verdant ribbon through the Western Cape lowlands. This intimate […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKIthala Game Reserve
uPhongolo Local Municipality, South Africa
+133 birds+29 mammals
Where granite ridges thrust upward through acacia woodland, the landscape shifts between intimate valleys and sweeping grasslands across nearly 500 […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCamdeboo National Park
Camdeboo Local Municipality, South Africa
+124 birds+30 mammals
Where granite gorges slice through semi-arid plateaus, ancient dolerite formations rise like sentinels above the Sundays River valley. Sprawling across […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSperrgebiet National Park
Barcelona, Namibia
+119 birds+30 mammals
Where the Namib Desert’s red dunes collide with the Atlantic’s cold embrace, over 56,000 square kilometers of raw wilderness unfolds […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBwabwata National Park
Namibia
150+ birds+23 mammals
Where the Kavango and Zambezi rivers converge across northeastern Namibia, a vast wilderness of 14,249 square kilometres unfolds in layers […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBale Mountains National Park
Ethiopia
+126 birds+29 mammals
Where volcanic plateaus rise above 4,000 meters and alpine meadows give way to Afromontane forest, one of Africa’s most pristine […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSimien Mountains National Park
Debark, Ethiopia
+61 birds+13 mammals
Where granite escarpments plunge thousands of metres into misty valleys, the Ethiopian highlands reveal a landscape of almost mythical drama. […]
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