The Amur Stonechat is a small East Asian bird that often perches upright on a grass stem to watch for insects. It breeds in East Asia and is not a regular wild bird in the United States.
Appearance
Appearance
A breeding male has a dark head, a white patch at the side of the neck, and an orange breast. Females and fall birds look browner.
Where it lives
Typical habitats
grassland
field edges
Range
It breeds in East Asia and spends the nonbreeding season in southern China and Southeast Asia. It is not a regular wild bird in the United States.
Seasonal presence
It migrates between breeding and wintering areas in Asia.
Behavior
Diet
It eats insects and other small animals without backbones.
Activity
It watches from low perches, then catches prey on the ground or in the air.
Life cycle
Breeding season
It breeds during the northern summer in East Asia.
Name and classification
About the name
Some older guides placed this bird within the Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus). It is also called Stejneger’s Stonechat.