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African Stonechat

Saxicola torquatus (Linnaeus, C 1766)

The African stonechat or common stonechat 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, torquatus, Latin for "collared". Source: Wikipedia




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Classification
Order:
  Passeriformes
Family:
  Muscicapidae
Genus:
   Saxicola
Scientific:
  Saxicola torquatus

Original description

Citation:
  (Linnaeus, C 1766)

Reference:
   Systema Naturae ed. 12, vol. 1, part 1

Protonym:
  Muscicapa torquata

Type locality:
  Cape of Good Hope.

Link:
  https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/137337#page/332/mode/1up

Avibase identifiers

Avibase ID:
  78B665BF7C704DD7

Avibase ID:
  avibase-78B665BF

Short link:
  https://avibase.ca/78B665BF

Taxonomic Serial Number:
  TSN: 726114

Geographic range:

  • Saxicola torquatus torquatus: South Africa (Western Cape to Limpopo) and western Eswatini
  • Saxicola torquatus moptanus: inner Niger delta, Mali, northern Senegal, and Senegal delta
  • Saxicola torquatus nebularum: highlands of Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, and western Ivory Coast
  • Saxicola torquatus salax: southeastern Nigeria to Cameroon, Gabon, lower Republic of the Congo, and Angola
  • Saxicola torquatus adamauae: highlands of northern and western Cameroon
  • Saxicola torquatus pallidigula: Mount Cameroon and Bioko
  • Saxicola torquatus jebelmarrae: western Sudan (Darfur region)
  • Saxicola torquatus axillaris: highlands of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and northern Tanzania
  • Saxicola torquatus stonei: southern Democratic Republic of the Congo and western Tanzania to southern and eastern Angola, northeastern Namibia, Zambia, central Zimbabwe, eastern and northern Botswana, and northern South Africa
  • Saxicola torquatus clanceyi: coastal western Namibia to northwestern Cape Province
  • Saxicola torquatus promiscuus: highlands of southern and southeastern Tanzania, northern and western Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe, and Malawi
  • Saxicola torquatus oreobates: highlands of Lesotho; winters to eastern Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique
  • Saxicola torquatus felix: mountains of southwestern Arabia and Yemen
  • Saxicola torquatus voeltzkowi: Grand Comoro Island
  • Show more...
Source: Clements checklist
English:
African Stonechat
Arabic:
البرقش المطوق
Azerbaijani:
Afrika çəkçəkisi
Bengali:
পাতি শিলাফিদ্দা
Catalan:
bitxac africà
Esperanto:
Nigragorĝulo
Estonian:
kaelustäks
Finnish:
mustapäätasku
French:
Tarier d'Afrique
Hebrew:
דוחל שחור-גרון
Croatian:
Crnoglavi Batić
Hungarian:
Cigánycsuk
Indonesian:
Decu Batu
Icelandic:
Hagaskvetta
Italian:
Saltimpalo africano
Japanese (romaji):
afurikanobitaki
Korean:
검은딱새
Lithuanian:
Juodagalvė kiauliukė
Portuguese:
Cartaxo
Slovenian:
prosnik
Thai:
นกยอดหญ้าหัวดำ
Ukrainian:
Трав'янка чорноголова
Chinese:
非洲石即鸟
Chinese (Traditional):
非洲石鵖

Authorities recognizing this taxonomic concept:

Avibase taxonomic concepts (current):
African Stonechat ( Saxicola torquatus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2023 (May 2023):
African Stonechat ( Saxicola torquatus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2024 (Oct 2024):
African Stonechat ( Saxicola torquatus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2025 (Nov 2025):
African Stonechat ( Saxicola torquatus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 01 (August 2013):
African Stonechat ( Saxicola torquatus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 02 (May 2014):
African Stonechat ( Saxicola torquatus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 03 (March 2015):
African Stonechat ( Saxicola torquatus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 04 (Aug 2016):
African Stonechat ( Saxicola torquatus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 05 (Jan 2017):
African Stonechat ( Saxicola torquatus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 06 (Feb 2018):
African Stonechat ( Saxicola torquatus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 07 (Feb 2020):
African Stonechat ( Saxicola torquatus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 08 (Feb 2021):
African Stonechat ( Saxicola torquatus) [version 1]
eBird version 1.52:
Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 1]
eBird version 1.53:
African Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 1]
eBird version 1.54:
African Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 1]
eBird version 1.55:
African Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 1]
eBird version 2015:
African Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 3]
eBird version 2016:
African Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 3]
eBird version 2017:
African Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 3]
eBird version 2018:
African Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 3]
eBird version 2019:
African Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 3]
eBird version 2021:
African Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 3]
eBird version 2022:
African Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 3]
eBird version 2023:
African Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 3]
eBird version 2024:
African Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 3]
eBird version 2025:
African Stonechat (African) ( Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group]) [version 3]

Taxonomic status:

Species status: full species (sometimes a subspecies)

This taxon is considered a subspecies of Saxicola [torquatus or albofasciatus] (sensu lato) by some authors

Your sightings

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Related taxa

Alternative arrangements:  1  2  3 

Highlight taxa in a checklist (shown in red)

Other related concepts

Other synonyms

See also the taxonomic synonyms table.


Afrikaans: Bontrokkie, Gewone Bontrokkie (Afrikaanse)
Arabic: البرقش المطوق
Azerbaijani: Afrika çəkçəkisi
Bulgarian: Африканско ливадарче [Група torquatus], Черногушо ливадарче
Bengali: পাতি শিলাফিদ্দা
Catalan: bitxac africà, bitxac africà [grup torquatus]
Czech: bramborníček africký [skupina torquatus], Brambornícek cernohlavý
Welsh: Clochdar y Cerrig
Danish: Afrikansk Sortstrubet Bynkefugl, Almindelig [torquatus Gruppe], Sortstrubet Bynkefugl
German: Afrikanisches Schwarzkehlchen, Afrikaschwarzkehlchen [torquatus-Gruppe]
Greek: Αφρικανικός Μαυρολαίμης [torquatus ομάδα], Αφρικανικός Μαυρολαίμης [torquatus], Μαυρολαίμης
English: African Stonechat, African Stonechat (African), Stonechat (African)
English (Avilist): African Stonechat (African)
English, HBW: Common Stonechat (African)
English (IOC): African Stonechat (African)
English (Kenya): Common Stonechat, Common Stonechat (African)
English (United States): African Stonechat (African)
Esperanto: Afrika saksikolo, Nigragorĝulo
Spanish: Tarabilla Africana (grupo torquatus), Tarabilla Común, Tarabilla Común Africana (grupo torquatus)
Spanish (Spain): Tarabilla africana (grupo torquatus), Tarabilla común africana (grupo torquatus)
Spanish (HBW): African Stonechat (African)
Estonian: kaelustäks
Finnish: afrikanpensastasku (torquatus- ryhmä), mustapäätasku
Faroese: Svartstólpa
French: Tarier d'Afrique, Tarier d'Afrique (Afrique), Tarier d'Afrique (groupe torquatus), Tarier d'Afrique [torquatus], Traquet d'Afrique
French (Guyane): Tarier d'Afrique (groupe torquatus)
Irish: Caislín Cloch
Hebrew: דוחל שחור-גרון
Croatian: Crnoglavi Batić
Hungarian: Afrikai Cigánycsuk (Afrikai), Cigánycsuk
Armenian: Սևագլուխ Չքչքան
Indonesian: Decu Batu
Icelandic: Hagaskvetta
Italian: Saltimpalo africano
Japanese (romaji): afurikanobitaki, nishinobitaki (torquatus guru-pu)
Japanese: ニシノビタキ, ニシノビタキ (torquatus グループ), ニシノビタキ（torquatus グループ）, ノビタキ
Georgian: შავთავა ოვსადი
Kara-Kalpak: қара баслы сур шымшық
Kazakh: қарабас шақшақ
Korean: 검은딱새
Kirghiz: кара баш котурепей
Scientific: Motacilla () torquata, Muscicapa torquata, Pratincola axillaris, Saxicola axillaris, Saxicola torquatus, Saxicola torquatus [torquatus Group], Saxicola torquatus axillaris, Saxicola torquatus torquatus
Lithuanian: Juodagalvė kiauliukė
Malagasy: Fitatra
Dutch: Afrikaanse Roodborsttapuit, Afrikaanse Roodborsttapuit (torquatus groep)
Norwegian: Afrikasvartstrupe, afrikasvartstrupe (torquatus gr.)
Polish: kląskawka afrykańska, kląskawka afrykańska [gr. torquatus]
Portuguese: Cartaxo
Portuguese (Angola): Cartaxo-comum [grupo torquatus]
Portuguese (Portugal): Cartaxo-africano, Cartaxo-africano [grupo torquatus]
Rhaeto-Romance: puppennair
Romance (Other): puppennair
Russian: Африканский черноголовый чекан [группа torquatus], Черноголовый чекан
Slovak: prhlaviar bielokrký, pŕhľaviar bielokrký , pŕhľaviar bielokrký (skup.)
Slovenian: Afriški prosnik (Afriški), prosnik
Serbian: Afrička travarka [torquatus grupa], crnoglava travarka
Sotho, Southern: Hlatsinyane
Swedish: afrikansk buskskvätta ([torquatus Group]), afrikansk buskskvätta [gruppen torquatus], Svarthakad buskskvätta
Swahili: Mhozo Kichwa-cheusi
Thai: นกยอดหญ้าหัวดำ
Turkmen: garabaş jakjaky
Turkish: Afrika taşkuşu [torquatus grubu], Taşkuşu
Tuvinian: кара баштыг чыккылаа
Ukrainian: Трав’янка африканська [група torquatus], Трав'янка чорноголова
Uzbek: қора бошли сир чумчуқ, қорабошли сирчумчуқ
Xhosa: Ingcaphe
Chinese: 非洲石即鸟
Chinese (Traditional): 非洲石鵖
Zulu: isAncaphela, isichegu [Iqembu torquatus]

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