10 February 2016

Cape rock-thrush (Kaapse kliplyster)

Scientific name: Monticola rupestris

Cape Rock-thrush

Sentinal Rock-thrush

The summer male has a blue-grey head, orange underparts and outer tail feathers, and brown wings and back. Females have a brown head, but their underparts are a much richer orange than those of other female rock thrushes. The outer tail feathers are reddish, like the male's. The male Sentinel Rock-Thrush is similar to the male Cape Rock Thrush, but the blue grey of the head extends to the back and upper breast. The male Short-toed Rock-Thrush has a blue-grey back and a whitish crown.
Endemic to South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho, generally preferring cliffs, rocky valleys, boulder-strewn hillsides and scree slopes, especially with scattered trees, bushes and succulents (such as Aloe and Euphorbia). It also occupies villages and towns adjacent to these habitats.
It mainly eats arthropods, fruit and seeds, doing most of its foraging on the ground within vegetation or between rocks.