Saxicola jerdoni
The Jerdon's Bush Chat (*Saxicola jerdoni*) is a striking passerine bird, a member of the Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae, found across parts of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Males are particularly distinctive, boasting a glossy black head, throat, and upperparts that contrast sharply with a rich rufous-orange breast, fading to a whitish belly; a white rump is often visible in flight. Females are paler and browner, with a streaked crown and buffy underparts, exhibiting...
Primarily inhabits tall grasslands, dense reedbeds, and scrubby areas near wetlands, rivers, and cultivation, typically in lowlands up to 600 meters elevation.
Feeds predominantly on insects and other small invertebrates such as beetles, ants, grasshoppers, and spiders, primarily by perch-and-pounce foraging.
Jerdon's Bush Chat is a diurnal species, spending much of its active time perched conspicuously on reeds, tall grass stalks, or low bushes, often near water. It is insectivorous, employing a 'perch-and-pounce' foraging strategy, watching intently for prey before dropping to the ground or making s...
The Jerdon's Bush Chat is primarily resident across a distribution spanning parts of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Its breeding and year-round range extends through the plains of northeast India (e.g., Assam, West Bengal), Bangladesh, southern Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar. Further eas...
Least Concern
- Named after Thomas C. Jerdon, a British zoologist and ornithologist who made significant contributions to the study of Indian fauna. - Its scientific genus name, *Saxicola*, means 'rock-dweller,' which is somewhat ironic as Jerdon's Bush Chat typically prefers marshy grasslands over rocky habit...