Family Old World Flycatchers and Chats (Muscicapidae)

Least Concern

Moussier's Redstart (Phoenicurus moussieri)

Taxonomy

French: Rougequeue de Moussier German: Diademrotschwanz Spanish: Colirrojo diademado

Taxonomy:

Erythacus Moussieri

Olphe-Galliard

, 1852,

Oran Province, Algeria

Monotypic.

Distribution:

Morocco (Middle and High Atlas, W Anti-Atlas) E to N Tunisia, possibly NW Libya (Jebel Nefoussa#R); non-breeding disperses to lower altitudes, possibly regular in Malta#R.

Descriptive notes

12 cm; 14–15 g. Male has long white band from forehead along supercilium and around rear ear-coverts, blackish from head below eye to back and wings, white wing... read more

Voice

Song a series of phrases, each a short scratchy warble consisting of thin reedy buzzing notes... read more

Habitat

Open rugged hilly country and stony plateaux with xerophytic steppe scrub, scree, dry areas with... read more

Food and feeding

Insects, mainly ants (one seen feeding for long period on them, and a stomach held only small ants), beetles, grasshoppers and larvae; also... read more

Breeding

Mid-Mar in SW Morocco, Apr–Jul in rest of country, but mid-May to Jun and perhaps Aug at elevations above 2000 m; early Apr to mid-... read more

Movements

Sedentary to some degree, but clear altitudinal movement and dispersive behaviour, and also a... read more

Status and conservation

Not globally threatened. Common. Considered a scarce breeder in Tunisia; fairly widespread, although it avoids coastal plains.

Bibliography

Public comments

Recommended citation

Collar, N. & Christie, D.A. (2019). Moussier's Redstart (Phoenicurus moussieri). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/58502 on 15 December 2019).

Scientific classification

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Muscicapidae

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In past, traditionally treated as an outsize family that also included expanded versions of Sylviidae, Timaliidae and Turdidae; these three were subsequently split off as three separate families, but still in much expanded form as compared to their current treatment. Since publication of HBW, limits of all these families have been dramatically rewritten due to a barrage of occasionally contradictory molecular data. Within present family problems remain, particularly due to incomplete taxon sampling, but near-complete screening to species level has now been attempted for at least a handful of genera (notably Oenanthe and Saxicola), and large elements of consensus have emerged, among them the recognition of four principal lineages, here treated as subfamilies. Most notable development involves transfer of many genera from Turdidae to present family, including Alethe, Cichladusa, Heteroxenicus, Brachypteryx, Heinrichia, Myophonus, Monticola, Thamnolaea, Myrmecocichla, Pogonocichla, Swynnertonia, Stiphrornis, Sheppardia, Cossypha, Xenocopsychus, Irania, Luscinia, Erithacus, Tarsiger, Cercotrichas, Copsychus, Phoenicurus, Saxicola and Oenanthe. Genetic sampling has also revealed extensive paraphyly, with the result that many species have switched genera. Some genera have disappeared completely into synonymy (e.g. Erythropygia), and others have shrunk to just one or two species (e.g. Luscinia), while a few have become substantially larger (e.g. Cercotrichas, Oenanthe).

Subfamily: Saxicolinae

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Apart from Vauriella and Ficedula, all genera previously placed in Turdidae.

Genus: Phoenicurus T. Forster, 1817

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Often subdivided into three genera, with recognition of Rhyacornis (for P. fuliginosus and P. bicolor) and Chaimarrornis (for P. leucocephalus), but recent molecular studies#R #R #R #R #R show that arrangement to be paraphyletic. One option is to recognize a further genus, Adelura (for P. frontalis, P. schisticeps, P. coeruleocephala and P. erythronotus), which name has priority over Phoenicuropsis for this clade#R #R. Here, a more conservative course is taken, whereby all relevant species are treated in Phoenicurus.

See full taxonomic structure and notes