Brown Rock Chat vs Capped Wheatear

Brown Rock Chat

Oenanthe fusca

Tiny13 gRocky

The brown rock chat is about 17 cm long, larger than the somewhat similar-looking Indian robin. It is uniformly rufous brown with the wings and tail of a slightly darker shade. The brown on the undersides grades into a dark grey-brown vent. The beak is slender and is slightly curved at the tip. The second primary is the longest and the tail is rounded. In flight it resembles a female blue rock thrush. The sexes are indistinguishable in the field. Voice: Brown rock chats have a wide repertoire of calls. Nearly eight different kinds of calls have been noted, including territorial calls, begging calls, feeding calls, alarm calls, threat calls, contact calls, distress calls, roosting calls and emergence calls. The most common call is a short whistled chee delivered with a rapid bob and stretch, and the alarm call is a harsh chek-check.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Vikramdeep Sidhu from Jhajjar, India · CC BY 2.0

Capped Wheatear

Oenanthe pileata

Small27 gGrassland

The capped wheatear is 17–18 cm long and weighs 32 g. Its legs and pointed bill are black. This common species is striking and unmistakable in appearance. The adult has a black cap, cheeks and breast band, and white eye stripe and throat. The rest of the underparts are white with buff on the flanks and lower belly. Like other wheatears, it has a distinctive tail pattern with a black feathers on the base and centre of the tail forming an inverted T against the otherwise white rump. The juvenile has a brown cap and cheeks, and the breast band is weak and diffuse.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Derek Keats, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Brown Rock Chat and Capped Wheatear.