Pied Bush Chat

Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus, 1766)

≈14 cmLength19 cmWingspan15 gWeight

The male is mainly black with a white wing patch and often perches on scrub, the tops of small trees or wires.

Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Cambodia, Thailand

Looks like Siberian Stonechat

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Male black, with only the rump, wing patch and lower belly white
White wing patch
Rump white near the tail
Tail upturned during song or when excited

Male, female and young

Female lacks a white wing patch and is paler, usually with brown streaks; juvenile has scaly underparts and dark upperparts.

Voice

Clear whistles, transcribed by some as the English phrase “we are tea for two”, with “tea” higher in pitch.

Similar species

Siberian Stonechat

Pied Bush Chat is about 13 cm long and slightly smaller than Siberian Stonechat, with a similarly plump body and upright stance.

Where and when it's recorded

Pied Bush Chat has been recorded at 642 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 29 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

GKVK CampusIndia3,239 records
Hoskote / Hosakote KereIndia2,702 records
Saul Kere / Sowl KereIndia2,647 records

More places

Bharatpur – Keoladeo Ghana NPIndia2,600 records
Hessaraghatta KereIndia2,152 records
Doddanekundi KereIndia1,972 records
Muthanallur KereIndia1,734 records
Krishnampathi Lake, SeeranaickenpalayamIndia1,674 records
Panchayat Union Middle School, KrishnampudurIndia1,632 records
Okhla Bird SanctuaryIndia1,563 records

Countries and regions with the most records

India Cambodia Thailand Nepal Philippines Sri Lanka Papua New Guinea Laos

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The pied bush chat (Saxicola caprata) is a small passerine bird found ranging from West Asia and Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. About sixteen subspecies are recognized through its wide range with many island forms. It is a familiar bird of countryside and open scrub or grassland where it is found perched at the top of short thorn trees or other shrubs, looking out for insect prey.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Pied Bush Chat?

The Pied Bush Chat is about ≈14 cm long, with a wingspan of 19 cm and weighs around 15 g.

Where does the Pied Bush Chat live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Oriental, Australasia: northeastern Iran through Southeast Asia to New Guinea and Bismarck Archipelago. It is most often recorded in India, Cambodia and Thailand.