The pied bush chat is a small passerine bird found ranging from West Asia and Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. About sixteen subspecies are recognized through its wide range with many island forms. It is a familiar bird of countryside and open scrub or grassland where it is found perched at the top of short thorn trees or other shrubs, looking out for insect prey. They pick up insects mainly from the ground, and were, like other chats, placed in the thrush family Turdidae, but are now considered as Old World flycatchers.
Image: Pied bush chat (Saxicola caprata)male from nilgiris DSC 1123
Image: Pied bushchat (Saxicola caprata bicolor) female
An immature bird holding an insect larva, Nilgiri Mountains
S. c. bicolor male, Rajasthan, India
Saxicola, the stonechats or chats, is a genus of 15 species of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World. They are insectivores occurring in open scrubland and grassland with scattered small shrubs.
Saxicola
female pied bushchat (Saxicola caprata bicolor), India