Pied bush chat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pied bush chat
S. c. nilgiriensis male Nilgiri mountains
S. c. bicolor, female Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Saxicola
Species:	caprata
Synonyms
Motacilla caprata Linnaeus, 1766 Pratincola caprata (Linnaeus, 1766)

The pied bush chat (Saxicola caprata) is a small songbird. You can find it in many parts of Asia, from West Asia to Southeast Asia. This bird is common in open areas like grasslands and farms. It likes to perch on top of small trees or bushes. From there, it watches for insects to eat.

Pied bush chats mostly catch insects from the ground. They used to be grouped with thrushes, but now scientists consider them Old World flycatchers. These birds build their nests in holes in walls or banks. They line their nests with grass and animal hair.

Male pied bush chats are mostly black. They have white patches on their shoulders and belly. Female birds are mostly brownish. Young birds look speckled.

What is a Pied Bush Chat?

The pied bush chat is a small bird, about 13 cm (5.1 in) long. This is a bit smaller than a Siberian stonechat. It has a round body and stands upright.

Male and Female Birds

The male pied bush chat is black. It has a white rump (the area above its tail), a white patch on its wings, and a white lower belly. Its eyes are dark brown, and its beak and legs are black.

The female bird is dull brown and has some streaks. Young birds look like females but have a scaly pattern on their underside.

Different Types of Pied Bush Chats

There are about 16 different types, or subspecies, of pied bush chats. These types live in different places. For example:

• The caprata type lives in the Philippines.
• The bicolor type is found in parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India.
• The nilgiriensis type lives in the Western Ghats and Nilgiri Hills in India.
• The atratus type is only found in Sri Lanka and has a larger beak.

Some of these types live on islands. These include types found in the Philippines, Indonesia, and New Guinea.

Local Names for the Bird

People in different places have different names for the pied bush chat. In India, some names are Kala pidda (Hindi) and Kallu kuruvi (Tamil). In New Guinea, the Fore people call it pobogile. These birds were once kept as pets in cages, especially in Bengal. You can still find them in bird markets in some parts of Southeast Asia.

Where Do Pied Bush Chats Live?

The pied bush chat lives in warm parts of southern Asia. This includes the Greater Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Indonesia. They arrived in Papua New Guinea around 1950. They like open areas such as scrublands, grasslands, and farms.

Some groups of these birds move to different places during certain seasons. This is called partial migration. For example, a bird from the rossorum type was found in Israel after being tagged. Birds in India also seem to move with the seasons, but scientists are still studying their exact paths.

Life Cycle and Behavior

Pied bush chats usually breed from February to August. The busiest time is from March to June.

Singing and Nesting

Male birds sing from high places to attract mates. Their song sounds a bit like an Indian robin. People have described it as "we are tea for two," with "tea" being a higher note.

The nest is built in a hole. This could be a hole in a wall or a bank. The birds line the nest with grass and hair. The female bird lays two to five eggs. The eggs are small and pale bluish-white or pinkish. They have speckles on the wider end. They are about 0.67 by 0.55 inches (1.7 by 1.4 cm) in size.

The female bird mainly sits on the eggs to keep them warm. This takes about 12 to 13 days. Even when their mates were not around, male birds still sang their morning songs. This suggests that males sing to show other males that they have a territory.

Eating Habits

Pied bush chats eat insects. Like other chats, they hunt from a low perch. They have been seen eating moths and whiteflies.

Other Facts

Sometimes, a common cuckoo will lay its egg in a pied bush chat's nest. This is called brood parasitism. The cuckoo might remove one of the chat's eggs before laying its own.

Adult pied bush chats do not have many enemies. However, bats and owls have been seen hunting them.

Pied Bush Chats in Culture

The Toda people in the Nilgiris, India, see the pied bush chat as a bird that brings messages. They have a story about its white wing patches. In the story, a dairy priest forgot to take out a churning stick before getting water. The bird tried to stop him, but he ignored it. He flicked butter from his hands onto the bird, creating the white spots. The priest then met a bad end.

The Kotas, also from the Nilgiris, have a story about why male and female pied bush chats look different. They believe this bird brings good luck. The Kalam people of Papua New Guinea also think these birds are messengers.

Gallery

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  An immature bird holding an insect larva, Nilgiri Mountains

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  S. c. bicolor male, Rajasthan, India

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  Pied bush chat near Mohali.

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  Pied bush chat near Chandigarh.