Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...

Blackstart

Oenanthe melanura

The Blackstart, scientifically known as Oenanthe melanura, is a chat of modest size, measuring approximately 14 cm in length. It is distinguished by its black tail, often fanned, contrasting with its bluish-grey or grey-brown plumage. The North African races tend to be browner, while those from the Middle East exhibit a bluer hue. Both sexes present a similar appearance.

Identification Tips

When identifying the Blackstart, look for the characteristic black tail and the greyish-white belly and under-wings. The bill and legs are black, providing a stark contrast. The wings are darker than the blueish ash-grey upperparts, with the black rump and tail standing out.

Habitat

The Blackstart is adapted to life in rocky deserts and mountain slopes, where it can be observed with relative ease due to its confident nature.

Distribution

This bird is a resident species found across desert regions in North Africa, the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula. Its presence is noted from northeast Egypt to central Saudi Arabia, with various subspecies distributed over a wider area.

Behaviour

The Blackstart is a monogamous bird, with pairs remaining together throughout the year within their breeding territories. It is a bold species, showing little fear of humans.

Song & Calls

The Blackstart's song is a clear, melancholic whistle, composed of phrases like "CHURlee…TRUloo…CHURlee…TRUlur…". These phrases are also used as calls.

Breeding

Nesting occurs in rock crevices where the female lays 3–4 pale blue eggs speckled with fine red-brown markings. The nest, a shallow cup of grass and leaves lined with hair and fine plant material, may be surrounded by small pebbles at the entrance. Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge after about 14 days.

Diet and Feeding

The Blackstart primarily feeds on insects, which it forages for on the ground.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List has classified the Blackstart as Least Concern, indicating that it currently faces no significant threats to its survival.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Blackstarts on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Chats, Old World Flycatchers

A photo of a White-gorgeted Flycatcher (Anthipes monileger)

White-gorgeted Flycatcher

Anthipes monileger
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
778
Great bird recording
For a while I’ve been trying to find an app to easily record bird lists and day out and struggled to find one that I like. Birda is great for this, straightforward and a great community!
Madstherangers
A mordern game changer
Birda is an awesome app, its updated the world of birding to the modern day with a fun and easy to use app. It’s engaging and allows positive interaction with fellow bird lovers!
Viperray5
Loving it
I really enjoy being able to interact with other birders on this platform! This seems like a great way to meet other birders and find some new spots.
Talli A
My favourite app
As a young birdwatcher who was always keen to be apart of a community but never seemed to find one, my problem was solved downloading this!!! Everyone is so friendly and just as excited to see birds as me 😁
Pdydhdrexgi
Fantastic App
This is a really lovely app, for everyone interested in birds - from newbies to old hands. There is a very friendly feel to the community and you will genuinely learn a lot as you record your sightings and photos. There are lots of badges and competitions to keep you engaged, and a host of really useful features.
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
Nedz53
Really useful
Downloaded to give it a try, everything worked perfectly, recorded my first bird watching walk. Very impressed. Have already recommended to friends!
Marlster24
Recommend for any bird watcher
Very wholesome app: I joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😃
David C
Very knowledgeable group
Nice friendly birding community. Very knowledgeable group with a willingness to help.
Amylia S
Best app for any birding person!
I love this app!! I am so addicted to it when I saw it had 3 star review I was so sad! The app is awesome!! The best app for any birding person! ❤️
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.