Family:
The Siberian stone chat is very similar to the European stonechat and is its closest living relative. In breeding plumage, the male has black upperparts, with a white rump and scapular patch. The underparts are white with a small, rufous patch on its upper breast, and black underwing coverts and axillaries. The head is black with a conspicuous white collar, the thin, short bill is black, and the legs and feet are black.
The female has pale brown upperparts with darker wings, a pale orange rump that fades to white, and white underparts with a buff throat. The head is brown with white neck patches, and there is a buff line above the eye.
In winter plumage, the male is similar to the female but can be distinguished by the full neck collar.
Until recently, it was placed in the Turdidae family, but has recently been validated as a member of the Old World flycatcher family.
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Siberian stonechats eat mainly insects but will occasionally supplement their diet with berries. It usually catches prey from a perch but will sometimes pick food from the ground.
In breeding season, Siberian stonechats are found across Asia, from Russia to Mongolia in rough open grassland and scrub. It migrates for winter to southern Asia and northeast Africa.
