Family: Muscicapidae
Small, round bird, about 13cm in length. Its beak is flat and fine, much like the legs, which are very thin.
Males’ plumage is brown but colorful nonetheless: the head is deep black; the back is dark with white spots; the chest is dark orange fading into white; and they have a white collar on both sides of the neck. Females’ head and back are brown and their chest is the same color as the males’. Juveniles are light brown with spots across their entire body.
Male
Female
Juvenile
It’s a very widely distributed species. It’s present in Europe, Asia and Africa (including Sub-Saharan Africa), though in an uneven manner. It’s extant and abundant throughout the entire Iberian Peninsula during the whole year, barring a few regions in the southern half.
Its song is a soft, high-pitched warble. Its call, however is very characteristic: it sounds like two stones hitting each other. This is what gives this species its common name in many languages, including the English “stonechat”.