Monticola saxatilis
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The common rock thrush (Monticola saxatilis), also known as the rufous-tailed rock thrush or simply rock thrush, is a species of chat that 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-Częstochowska (Poland) where none occur today, but it is not considered globally endangered. Wikipedia →
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush sighting in Abu Dhabi on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 137th most-seen of the 159 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush in Abu Dhabi on a given day, against under 5% in May to March, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush sightings, Abu Dhabi ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Jodhpur (India, under 5%) and Doha (Qatar, under 5%).
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush that you can see in Abu Dhabi (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Spotted Flycatcher (about 20%), Common Nightingale (about 10%) and Common Redstart (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Abu Dhabi (10 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
