 left|thumb|female or juvenile male specimen nairobi national museum the common rock thrush (monticola saxatilis),english name updates - ioc version 2.9 (july 10, 2011), ioc world bird list formerly rufous-tailed rock thrush or rock thrush, is a chat belonging to the muscicapidae family. it was formerly placed in the turdidae family. it breeds in southern europe across central asia to northern china. this species is strongly migratory, all populations wintering in africa south of the sahara. it is an uncommon visitor to northern europe. its range has contracted somewhat at the periphery in recent decades due to habitat destruction. for example, in the early 20th century it bred in the jura krakowsko-czÄstochowska (poland) where none occur today,tomek, teresa & bocheÅski, zygmunt (2005): weichselian and holocene bird remains from komarowa cave, central poland. acta zoologica cracoviensia 48a(1-2): 43-65. pdf fulltext but it is not considered globally endangered. ==description== this is a medium-sized but stocky thrush 17â20&nbsp;cm in length. the summer male is unmistakable, with a blue-grey head, orange underparts and outer tail feathers, dark brown wings and white back. females and immatures are much less striking, with dark brown scaly upperparts, and paler brown scaly underparts. the outer tail feathers are reddish, like the male.clement, peter & hathaway, ren (2000): thrushes. christopher helm, london. isbn 0-7136-3940-7 ==behaviour and ecology== this species breeds in open dry hilly areas, usually above 1500&nbsp;m. it nests in rock cavities, laying 4â5 eggs. it is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, berries and small reptiles. the male common rock thrush has a clear and tuneful song. ==references==  ==external links== * *oiseaux photos, map, text. *[http:
Animals_described_in_1766 Birds_of_Asia Birds_of_Cameroon Birds_of_Europe Birds_of_Pakistan Birds_of_Turkey Birds_of_Western_Sahara Birds_of_the_Palestinian_territories Chats_(birds) IUCN_Red_List_least_concern_species Monticola