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Identification and European Status of eastern Stonechats Iain S. Robertson The eastern races of the Stonechat look very different from the familiär west European ones. Some might even be dismissed as Whinchats. Of 25 in western Europe, more than half have been in the last three years here are about 24 races of the Stonechat Saxicola torquata, all breeding Twithin the Palearctic or the Ethiopian regions (Vaurie 1959). Eight breed in the Palearctic: two west European races, S. t. rubicola and S. t. hibernans, and six eastern forms, which are distinct from those of western Europe, but cause identification problems. Although at least 25 eastern Stonechats have been recorded in west Europe since 1883 (see later section), there is little information available to continued... [Brit. Birds, 70: 237-245, June 1977] 237 238 Eastern Stonechats help the average birdwatcher. Those works which do contain descriptions tend to concentrate on adult males, but it is the female or immature plumages that are most likely to cause difficulties. This paper attempts to simplify the problem of field identification; it is based on a study of skins in the British Museum (Natural History), the descriptions of British and Continental records, the available literature and correspondence with observers who have experience of the eastern subspecies. General features Eastern Stonechats show wide variation throughout their ranges, but there are features common to most races: the most important is the unmarked rump and uppertail-coverts. The colour of the rump patch varies considerably, and is dealt with in detail under the individual races, but it is always unmarked by dark streaks or spots. In autumn, it tends to be ginger or orange, gradually abrading to white; some may have become white by early autumn, but others may still be orange in spring. As the orange or ginger tips wear off, there may be a patchy appearance, with the few remaining tips showing as blotches. The rump patch is generally larger than that of a west European Stonechat, and may have a 'wrapped around' effect, making it the most conspicuous feature. Adult male eastern Stonechats are similar above to those of western Europe, but the black feathers have buff rather than reddish fringes, although these wear off by the spring. The amount of white on the inner wing-coverts is usually greater on eastern birds and may be massive, but this is a very variable character, depending on wear, age and the indivi­ dual, as is the white neck patch, which may sometimes form a white collar around the nape. In most races, the underparts are paler and less rufous than those of west European birds, being sometimes reduced to a pale pink or orange wash on the upper breast, which may be demarcated from the white belly. The axillaries are jet black, a character confined to the eastern races. Some show white at the base of the tail feathers, but this may be obscured in the field by the uppertail-coverts. Females and immatures of all the eastern races are paler than any nor­ mal west European Stonechat, although S. t. przewalskii and S. t. stejnegeri may be less distinct. The pallid appearance gives a similarity to a Whin- chat S. rubetra or, in extreme cases, a Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti. The pale mantle is conspicuously streaked with brown, and there may be a darker streaked cap. Many have a pale supercilium, which may be conspicuous, again recalling a Whinchat. The underparts show little or no rufous and are usually pale orange or sandy, with a paler belly, and buff or white throat, often demarcated from the upper breast. There are conspicuous pale buff or white edgings to the secondaries and tertials, which may show as a pale panel on the closed wing, similar to that on an Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina. The amounts of white in the inner wing and on the neck are even more variable than in males and are of little value as field characters. The black tail is bordered and tipped with huffish, and some white may be present at the base of the tail feathers. Eastern Stonechats 239 c> fc y/Jmaura 6 kVVVi tMvariegata ^< ^ &Zindica yV Kg rubicola/hibernans / s s \\ stejnegeri Wi&przewalskii jg§ armenica , a <} <A Fig. 1. Breeding ranges of Palearctic Stonechats Saxicola torquata, with wintering areas of the four most migratory eastern races indicated by their initial letters Subspecific identification The distributions of the eight Palearctic races are shown in fig. 1. I have combined the Continental S. t. rubicola with the race S. t. hibernans, which breeds in Britain and Ireland, western Brittany and coastal Portugal, for reasons explained later. The map shows the breeding ranges so far as they are known, but it must be stressed that the boundaries are not well defined and some intergradation between races occurs, particularly in Afghanistan and Baluchistan (Dementiev and Gladkov 1968). The wintering areas of four eastern forms are shown, but, again, this is merely a guide. For the purposes of this paper it is convenient to split the races into three groups: (1) rubicola and hibernans, (2) maura and stejnegeri and (3) armenica and variegata. Of the remaining two races, indica is the least migratory, merely moving down the Indian subcontinent in winter; przewalskii, which is virtually inseparable from stejnegeri in immature plumage, breeds in the southeast of the region and, on geographical grounds, is unlikely to reach western Europe. GROUP 1 S. t. rubicola and S. t. hibernans. These are the typical breeding Stonechats of western Europe. The two races are extremely similar and, indeed, Meinertzhagen (1953) doubted the validity of hibernans, while E. D. H. Johnson (in litt.) has been able to demonstrate a cline between the two forms: during my work on skins in the British Museum, I found them indistinguishable. In this group, the small rump patch may dark brown. The underparts are rich be deep orange to white, but is always orange or russet, this colour usually extend­ spotted or streaked with black. There is no ing to the belly. Some individuals may show white in the base of the tail. The axillaries a pale supercilium, but this is usually ill- are buff or white, with grey centres to the defined. Familiarity with these birds in all feathers, even in old males. The females plumages is a great help when trying to and immatures have the black replaced by identify eastern Stonechats. 240 Eastern Stonechats GROUP 2 S. t. maura and S. t. stejnegeri. These two races, colloquially known as Siberian Stonechats, have both occurred in western Europe. The race maura tends to be smaller than buffish fringes and the rump patch is the others and has a pale orange or white larger and is usually orange, even in adult rump patch. Males have a little white males. Some males show a marked exten• (no more than 5 mm) at the base of the sion of the neck patches to form a collar tail feathers, but it is obscured in the field around the nape, which may be broken in by the uppertail-coverts. Females show less the centre by a few dark spots; the amount white or none at all. Adult males have jet of white in the wing similarly tends to be black axillaries; young males may show greater. As in maura, the axillaries are jet this feature as early as September. The black; young birds may show this by underparts are paler than those of the September. In autumn, males are very races in group 1, being pale orange or pale below, and have a pale supercilium sandy. Females and immatures are also and a buffish or white throat, which is paler on the mantle, and have orange, usually demarcated from the upper breast. sandy or white rump patches, and buffish The white on the rump does not show axillaries. The throat is usually white and through until October at the earliest, and there is often a pale supercilium (but this may still be obscured by orange tips as is a difficult feature to examine on skins). late as April. The tail is tipped by a band The race stejnegeri is the most migratory; of pale orange or buff up to 2 mm wide. it is a little larger than maura and the bill Females have an orange rump patch with is longer and broader. The 2nd primary little or no white. The throat is pale and is longer than the 7th (Dementiev and the axillaries are buffish. The underparts Gladkov 1968). There is no white in the are pale buff, paler than maura. Skins of base of the tail. The orange underparts this race from Japan, which I examined in tend to be paler than those of maura and the the British Museum, have rich rufous colour may be reduced to a pale wash on underparts, a feature apparently not the upper breast. The mantle has long commented on previously. 54. Three views of a Stonechat Saxicola torquata of one of the two group 2 races, probably S. t. maura, Texel, Netherlands, October 1973. Note general similarity to a Whinchat S. rubetra, the wing panel, supercilium, demarcated throat and streaked upperparts (P. Meeth) GROUP 3 S. t. armenica and S. t. variegata. These two races are not known to have occurred in western Europe, but, as they are migratory and come from an area which is the origin of several other vagrants, it is possible that they will be recorded in the future. No skins of armenica were available for at the base of the tail (up to a quarter of examination at the British Museum, so the length of the feathers), in the wing and the details given here are from the litera• on the neck.

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