
Photo: JJ Harrison · CC BY-SA 3.0
Monticola gularis
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Diet
Mainly invertebrates, including weevils, mole crickets and moths
Habitat
Mixed montane forests when breeding
Size
16–19cm
Weight
32–37g, averaging 34g
The white-throated rock thrush is 16–19 centimetres long and weighs 32–37 grams. Adult males have white patches on the chin and throat, and the rest of the underside is chestnut-orange, with cobalt blue and black in places. Adult females have brown or olive-brown upperparts and boldly scalloped lower parts. Young males have grey or golden-brown feathers and orange undersides. Its natural habitats include temperate forests. (Wikipedia, general species account)
These thrushes occupy their breeding grounds in mixed montane forests between May and September, breeding from May to July and raising two broods. The cup-shaped nests are made of plant matter, lichen, rootlets and moss on the inside, with pine needles and stems on the outside. The diet consists mainly of invertebrates such as weevils, mole crickets and moths. The species is a fully migrant. (Wikipedia, general species account)