Arnot's Chat

The Arnot's chat, also known as the white-headed black-chat, is a striking bird species belonging to the chat and flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. This bird is notable for its sexually dimorphic plumage, with males and females exhibiting distinct coloration.

Identification Tips

Adult males of the nominate race are predominantly black with a distinctive white crown and a white patch on the wing coverts. Females, on the other hand, have a black crown with a white throat that is tipped with black, extending to the neck. Both sexes have black bills and legs. Juveniles resemble adults but feature white feather tips on the crown or throat. The male of the subspecies hartertii has a smaller white area on the forehead and above the eye, and the female's white throat is less extensive than that of the nominate race.

Habitat

Arnot's chat is typically found in the lush miombo and mopane woodlands, thriving in open woodland areas with sparse herbaceous ground cover. Occasionally, it may be spotted in proximity to human settlements, although this is a rare occurrence.

Distribution

The species graces the southern African landscape, with its range extending from Rwanda and Angola all the way to South Africa. It is generally a resident bird, although some localized movements have been observed.

Similar Species

Arnot's chat can be confused with the white-fronted black-chat, but the latter is now often considered a separate species known as the Ruaha chat. The Ruaha chat is visually similar to Arnot's chat in males but can be distinguished by the different plumage in females.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List classifies Arnot's chat as Least Concern, indicating that the species does not currently face a significant threat of extinction in the wild.