Black-headed Bunting - Kara-shtamptoo

Black-headed Stonechat.

Stonechats (Saxicola) are a genus of birds in the thrush family. The black-headed stonechat measures 13 - 14 cm in length and weighs 17 - 19 g. Its head and back are black, and the wing coverts are white. There is a bright white spot on the shoulders. The chest is orange, and the underside is white. The legs and beak are black. The female differs in having a brown coloration.

Stonechats feed on insects.

Low shrubs and weeds in meadow and steppe areas are the preferred habitats of the black-headed stonechat. It nests in open lowland areas, and sometimes in mountainous regions. The nests are built on the ground, in a depression, under the cover of a bunch of grass, or even under a stone. The clutch usually consists of 3–6 dirty white eggs with a brownish tint at the blunt end. Both parents participate in incubating and feeding the chicks.

It winters in Southeast and South Asia, and Northeast Africa. The black stonechat is occasionally encountered during migrations.

This bird is widely distributed across the valleys and foothills of Kyrgyzstan.

Birds