Pied Bush Chat

The Pied Bush Chat (Saxicola caprata) is a small passerine bird found ranging from West Asia and Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. A total of sixteen subspecies are known due to the large geographic distribution and several island variants. It is a common bird found in rural areas, open scrub, or grasslands where it perches on small thorn trees or other shrubs to scan the area for insect prey. They were once classified as members of the Turdidae thrush family, along with other chats, but are now thought of as old-world flycatchers.

Although it has a similar dumpy shape and upright stance to the Siberian stonechat, Saxicola Maurus, the pied bush chat, at 13 cm, is only marginally smaller. The lower belly, wing patch, and rump of the male are white. The beak and legs are black, while the iris is dark brown. The female is dull brown with a few faint streaks. The underside of juveniles is scaly, while the top is dark like that of females. They nest in cavities in stone walls or in holes in an embankment, lining the nest with grass and animal hair.