STONECHAT

(species Saxicola torquata), Eurasian and African thrush (family Turdidae, order Passeriformes) named for its voice, which is said to sound like pebbles clicked together. In this species, 13 cm (5 inches) long, the male is black above, with white neck patch and a smudge of reddish colour on the white underparts; the female is brownish and dark-hooded. It is a ground nester, of flycatcher-like habits, found in overgrown pastures and coastal wastelands.