Common stonechat

    Saxicola torquatus

Castilian: Tarabilla común

Catalan: Bitxac comú

Gallego: Chasco común

Euskera: Pitxartxar burubeltza

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Turdidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

It is not threatened. Agricultural intensification, the elimination of hedges and forest boundaries to make farming areas more uniform, and the reforestation of marginal land areas represent risk factors for this species' populations.

Length / size: 13 cm / 18-21 cm

Identification: Small bird with white spots on its scapulas that are very visible in flight. The male's head is black and contrasts with his orange breast; his half-collar is white; and his tail is dark in contrast with his white rump. The female and juvenila are similar, but less eye-catching and browner.

Song: Its song is a brief, screeching and repetitive trill. Its call is a short click, a "chak-chak".

Diet: It feeds on small and medium-sized invertebrates, primarily insects; it can also add seeds and fruits to its diet.

Reproduction: The breeding period begins in February and, although it is a monogamous species, there are cases of polygamy. The nest is a small bowl made of dry leaves and grass that is placed on the ground, in vegetation, and sometimes sheltered by a bush. The female is exclusively responsible for incubation but both parents care for the chicks.

HABITAT

It is typical in open areas and occupies scrubland, forest clearings, mosaic farmland, pastureland, etc. It is distributed from sea level up to an altitude of 2,100 metres in Sierra Nevada.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed evenly throughout the entire peninsula and the Balearic Islands, while it is absent in the Canary Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, some areas in the Ebro depression, La Mancha, the Guadalquivir Valley, and the southeastern Iberian Peninsula.

In Castile and León: It is widely distributed throughout the entire community, with large concentrations in León, Zamora, Salamanca, northern Valladolid, southwestern Burgos, and northeastern Segovia.

Movements and migrations: The Iberian populations are residents or partially migratory. Specimens in the coldest areas go to other warmer areas in the south of the peninsula or northern Africa during winter. Also, our country receives specimens coming from western Europe, which go to their wintering areas situated in the Mediterranean region. the prenuptial passage takes place between February and April, and the postnuptial in September/November.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of half a million breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: