Sombre rock chat explained

The sombre rock chat (Oenanthe dubia) is a species of passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae.It is found in Ethiopia and Somalia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

The sombre rock chat was formerly included in the genus Cercomela. Molecular phylogenetic studies published in 2010 and 2012 found that the genus Cercomela was polyphyletic with five species, including the sombre rock chat, phylogenetically nested within the genus Oenanthe.^{[1] [2]} As part of a reorganization of the species to create monotypic genera, the sombre rock chat was moved to the genus Oenanthe.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Outlaw . R.K. . Voelker . G. . Bowie . R.C.K. . 2010 . Shall we chat? Evolutionary relationships in the genus Cercomela (Muscicapidae) and its relation to Oenanthe reveals extensive polyphyly among chats distributed in Africa, India and the Palearctic . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 55 . 1 . 284–292 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2009.09.023 . 19772925. 2010MolPE..55..284O .
2. Aliabadian . M. . Kaboli . M. . Förschler . M.I. . Nijman . V. . Chamani . A. . Tillier . A. . Prodon . R. . Pasquet . E. . Ericson . P.G.P. . Zuccon . D. . 2012 . Convergent evolution of morphological and ecological traits in the open-habitat chat complex (Aves, Muscicapidae: Saxicolinae) . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 65 . 1 . 35–45 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2012.05.011 . 22634240. 2012MolPE..65...35A .
3. Web site: Gill . Frank . Donsker . David . 2016 . Chats, Old World flycatchers . World Bird List Version 6.2 . International Ornithologists' Union. 20 May 2016 .