Mocking Cliff-Chat ( Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris, family: Muscicapidae)
Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Mocking Chat
The Mocking Cliff-Chat (Latin name Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris) is
described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird
has a unique Roberts number of 593 and you will find a full description
of this bird on page 958 also a picture of the Mocking Cliff-Chat on
page 929. The Mocking Cliff-Chat belongs to the family of birds
classified as Muscicapidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute
of African Ornithology the Mocking Cliff-Chat is also known by these
other names: Cliff Chat, White-crowned Cliff-Chat.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Mocking Cliff-Chat was called the Mocking Chat
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Mocking Cliff-Chat is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Mocking Cliff-Chat in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Mocking Cliff-Chat : see above distribution map.
The Mocking Cliff-Chat.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The Mocking Cliff-Chat is a smallish bird but somewhat larger than a house sparrow. The height of the Mocking Cliff-Chat is about 23 cms and its weight is about 48 gms
You will find that the male Mocking Cliff-Chat plumage and colours are different to that of the female Mocking Cliff-Chat
- Head is black.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is black.
- Throat is black.
- Back is black.
- Legs are black.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Mocking Cliff-Chat feeds on the ground mainly
Invertebrates
Fruits
Nectar
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Mocking Cliff-Chat is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Mocking Cliff-Chat is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are blue in colour and number between 2 to 4
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Mocking Cliff-Chat are: woodlands and grasslands and riverine areas
You will normally see the Mocking Cliff-Chat in pairs or flocks and not as single birds.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... iQumutsha-lamawa
Afrikaans ...Dassievol
German ... Rotbauchschmtzer
Portuguese ... Chasco-poliglota
French ... Traquet ventre roux
Dutch ... Roodbuik-Kliftapuit
First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list
For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 593
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
