Sickle-winged Chat (Emarginata sinuata)
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Sickle-winged Chat

Emarginata sinuata (Sundevall, 1858)

18 gWeight

The sickle-winged chat or sicklewing chat (Emarginata sinuata) is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae endemic to southern Africa.

Busiest months: October–November · Most records: Lesotho, South Africa

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Sickle-winged Chat has been recorded at 18 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Sani Pass (LS) to Black MountainsLesotho260 records
  2. Sani PassLesotho222 records
  3. Karoo NPSouth Africa88 records
More places
  1. Black Mountains – EastLesotho46 records
  2. Black Mountains – WestLesotho33 records
  3. Sani Pass (ZA) – low elevationSouth Africa32 records
  4. Augrabies Falls NPSouth Africa15 records
  5. West Coast NPSouth Africa15 records
  6. Benfontein NRSouth Africa9 records
  7. Suikerbosrand NRSouth Africa9 records

Countries and regions with the most records

LesothoSouth Africa

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 sickle-winged chat or sicklewing chat (Emarginata sinuata) is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae endemic to southern Africa. It is a common resident breeder in South Africa and Lesotho, and is also found in southernmost areas of Botswana and Namibia. Its habitat is Karoo scrub, short grassland, and barren sandy or stony areas.

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

Questions

How big is the Sickle-winged Chat?

The Sickle-winged Chat weighs around 18 g.

Where does the Sickle-winged Chat live?

Its breeding range: Africa: southern. It is most often recorded in Lesotho and South Africa.

When is the best time to see the Sickle-winged Chat?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October and November (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Sickle-winged Chat endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Sickle-winged Chat as Least Concern.

What does the Sickle-winged Chat eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Sickle-winged Chat in?

It belongs to the family Chats, Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Weight
18 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
77 mm
Tail
50 mm
Bill
15 mm
Tarsus
28 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: southern

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Chats, Old World Flycatchers Muscicapidae
Genus
Emarginata

Other birds in the genus Emarginata

Karoo ChatKaroo ChatEmarginata schlegeliiTractrac ChatTractrac ChatEmarginata tractracWhite-tailed AletheWhite-tailed AletheAlethe diademataFire-crested AletheFire-crested AletheAlethe castaneaKaroo Scrub RobinKaroo Scrub RobinTychaedon coryphoeusBrown Scrub RobinBrown Scrub RobinTychaedon signataForest Scrub RobinForest Scrub RobinTychaedon leucostictaBearded Scrub RobinBearded Scrub RobinTychaedon quadrivirgataMiombo Scrub RobinMiombo Scrub RobinTychaedon barbataKalahari Scrub RobinKalahari Scrub RobinCercotrichas paena
Sickle-winged Chat

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Michael McSweeney. ↗

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