The Stonechat 



THE Stonechat inhabits furze-clad com- 

 mons, and rough, uncultivated tracts 

 of land where juniper, bracken, and bramble 

 grow in profusion. Unless care is taken the 

 female of this species may easily be mistaken 

 for its relative the whinchat. 



The male is about five inches in length ; 

 its head, nape, throat, back, wings, and tail 

 are black, with rusty edgings to many of the 

 feathers. On the sides of the neck, wings, 

 and at the root of the tail, are patches of 

 white. The breast and under parts are dark 

 rust colour. The female is sandy brown on 

 her head and back, streaked with black ; the 

 white patches on her neck and wings are not 

 so large and conspicuous as in her mate, and 

 the base of her tail is rusty red. You can 

 distinguish her from the whinchat, if you 

 take care to remember that the latter bird 

 has a white spot at the base of its tail and 

 no black on the throat. 



