Herero Chat

The Herero chat (Namibornis herero) is a species of passerine bird belonging to the family Muscicapidae, the chats and Old World flycatchers. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Namibornis and it has a restricted range in southwestern Africa. == Taxonomy == The Herero chat was first formally described in 1931 as Bradornis herero by the Italian-born American ornithologist Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee with its type locality given as Karibib in Damaraland in Namibia. In 1935 R. D. Bradfield proposed the new genus Namibornis for this species, noting that he thought it was more closely related to Cossypha than Bradornis. The Herero chat is classified within the Tribe Muscicapini in subfamily Muscicapinae, meaning that it is an old World flycatcher rather than a chat and is closer to Bradornis than Cossypha, within the family Muscicapidae. == Etymology == The Hereo chat has the genus name Namibornis which suffixes ornis meaning "bird" onto Namib, i.e. the Namib Desert. The specific name herero, is the name of the Herero people who live in the Namib Desert. == Description == The Herero chat has a length of 17 cm (6.7 in). The adults have a blackish mask, similar to that of…