{"id":6795,"date":"2012-11-16T20:44:23","date_gmt":"2012-11-16T11:44:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=6795"},"modified":"2012-11-16T21:03:34","modified_gmt":"2012-11-16T12:03:34","slug":"stejnegers-stonechat-in-korea-a-quick-introduction-with-images","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=6795","title":{"rendered":"Stejneger\u2019s Stonechat in Korea: A Quick Introduction with Images"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nial Moores, November 14th, 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\n\"Stejneger's
\nFigure 1: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong>, presumed First-winter Male (on tail pattern and wear), October 31st 2012, Gageo Island. Nial Moores \/ Birds Korea.<\/center><\/br><\/p>\n

\nWith recent splits in formerly familiar species (such as Arctic Warbler<\/strong>) and proposed splits in others (including Blue-and-White Flycatcher<\/strong>), several new species have been recognised and their new names adopted by Gill & Donsker (2012). These accepted splits (and lumps) will be included in the next Birds Korea Checklist Update (expected to replace Moores & Park 2009 in early 2013). One of the newly recognised species is Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong> Saxicola stejnegeri<\/em>, recently split from Siberian Stonechat<\/strong> Saxicola maurus<\/em>. <\/p>\n

\nStejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong> has a wide distribution in Far East Asia, and is the common and presumably only regularly-occurring stonechat in the Republic of Korea. It is most numerous here during northward (March-May) and southward (August-November) migration, with a small and apparently declining number also breeding in suitable habitat and a very few mid-winter records. There are, by contrast, no proven Korean records of Siberian Stonechat<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nThis recent split of the former Common Stonechat<\/strong> Saxicola torquata<\/em> into several species (including European Stonechat<\/strong> Saxicola rubicola<\/em>, Siberian Stonechat<\/strong> and now Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong>) leaves several taxonomic questions unresolved, and also increases the identification challenge. For example, while there is a clear genetic distance between maurus<\/em> and stejnegeri<\/em>, the status of subspecies przewalskii<\/em> apparently remains unknown. On present knowledge (or rather lack of knowledge!) it could belong either to Siberian Stonechat<\/strong> or to Stejenger\u2019s Stonechat<\/strong>. Przewalskii<\/em> is the taxon said by Brazil (2009) to winter \u201cas far east as E. China\u201d. As such it seems likely to occur at least occasionally in the ROK, perhaps most especially in late autumn (when seasonally frequent westerly winds might cause migrants heading east to the Chinese coast to drift across the Yellow Sea). <\/p>\n

\nHowever, Brazil (2009) does not provide any clues as to how to identify this subspecies. Moreover, the separation of even a Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong> from nominate Siberian Stonechat<\/strong> in the UK (at Portland Bill in October 2012<\/a>) while suspected in the field, could only be confirmed by mtDNA testing. This is because there is much individual variation and there are few, if any, diagnostic plumage differences between Siberian<\/strong> and Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong> \u2013 even in the hand! The main structural difference between these two species (the width of the bill at the proximal edge of the nostrils) is also sometimes hard to apply. Although most Stejneger\u2019s<\/strong> have a broader bill-base (range of 4.7-5.7mm) than Siberian Stonechat<\/strong> (range of 4.2-4.9 mm, with a mean of 4.55mm), a few narrow-billed Stejneger\u2019s<\/strong> will overlap in this measurement with broad-billed Siberian (Svensson 1992). The same author does not provide measurements for przewalskii<\/em>. Other supporting criteria to identify a potential Siberian Stonechat<\/strong> in Korea in autumn might include: slightly darker wing and tail feathers in First Calendar Years and less extensive moult of wing-coverts (Svensson 1992); and less richly-saturated plumage than Stejneger\u2019s<\/strong>, perhaps stronger evidence of a pale supercilium, and perhaps more obvious white in the rump (from various online sources).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The following digiscope images are all copyright of Nial Moores \/ Birds Korea. Most are from Gageo Island in late October and early November this year and all but Figs. 11 and 12 are considered to look like \u201ctypical\u201d Stejneger’s Stonechats<\/strong> (at least this is how most seem to look in Korea!). Informed comments to improve the identification, sexing and ageing of these stonechats would be most warmly appreciated!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Stejneger's
\nFigure 2: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong>, Male (perhaps First-winter), October 30th 2012, Gageo Island.<\/center> Seen head-on, the bill often appears quite broad at the bill-base (as commented by Tom van der Have on the Birding Frontier\u2019s website, the bill-base can make Stejneger\u2019s<\/strong> \u201creally look like a Barn Swallow\u201d!). <\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger's Figure 3: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong>, Adult Male, November 6th, 2012, Gageo Island. <\/center>
\nIncluded here as almost all individuals are more difficult to age in autumn! Even in late autumn, adult males can have a largely black head and throat, and also show much black on the coverts of the closed wing.<\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger's
\nFigure 4: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong>, presumed First-winter Male (based on e.g. some of the dark markings on the throat), October 31st 2012, Gageo Island.<\/center><\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger'sFigure 5: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong> (same as in Fig. 4).<\/center>
Note the long, dark streaks on the longest uppertail coverts, clearly visible in the field in possibly half of all males, and less obviously in a few females.<\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger'sFigure 6: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong>, Female (perhaps First-winter?), October 31st, 2012, Gageo Island. Apparently pale-throated, with the \u201ctypical\u201d complex pattern on the wing-coverts.<\/center><\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger's
\nFigure 7: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong>, October 29th, 2012, Gageo Island.<\/center>
The first impression of this bird, soon after seeing images of the Portland Bill stonechat on their website (then not identified to taxon), was how similar it looked in some details.<\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger's
\nFigure 8: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong> (same as in Fig. 7). <\/center>
Although showing almost no supercilium from the side, at other angles an orange-toned supercilium became quite obvious, even extending onto the forehead.<\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger's
\nFigure 9: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong> (First-winter Female?), November 6th 2012, Gageo Island.<\/center><\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger'sFigure 10: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong> (same as in Fig. 9).<\/center><\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger's
\nFigure 11: Female \u201cStonechat\u201d, November 6th 2012.<\/center>
Seen after the passage of a vigorous cold front, this individual appeared strikingly different in the field to most Stejneger\u2019s<\/strong>. In direct comparison with the bird in Figs. 9 & 10 it was slighter-looking, with a weaker-looking bill, less richly-coloured upperparts, a paler-throat and it showed a small, whitish spot above the bill (the forehead is usually orangey or warm-toned in Stejneger\u2019s<\/strong>). However, it lacked a supercilium and was \u201cdarker\u201d than most Stejneger\u2019s<\/strong> (rather than paler-looking as often suggested for maurus<\/em> Siberian<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger's
\nFigure 12: Female \u201cStonechat\u201d (same as in Fig. 11) showing bill.<\/center><\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger'sFigure 13: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong>, Female (age?), November 6th 2012, Gageo Island.<\/center>
Again showing pale throat (without evidence of darker bases), weak supercilium, and \u201cOriental Turtle Dove\u201d like pattern on the forewing \u2013 especially when seen from the front.<\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger'sFigure 14: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong> (Male, presumably in Second Calendar Year), April 30th 2008, Eocheong Island.<\/center><\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger'sFigure 15: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong> (same as in Fig. 14), showing extent of hind-neck collar. <\/center>
Note also the two dark marks on the longest uppertail coverts \u2013 a common feature, especially in male Stejneger\u2019s (as above in Fig 1 and Figs. 4 & 5). Are these dark marks also shown regularly by male Siberian Stonechat<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger'sFigure 16: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong>, Adult Male, March 29th, 2009, Gageo Island.<\/center><\/p>\n

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\"Stejneger'sFigure 17: Stejneger’s Stonechat<\/strong>, dead Adult Male, May 3rd, 2010, Socheong Island, showing some of the detail of the underwing.<\/center><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Again, we would welcome receiving comments \u2013 and would be most interested in seeing images of other taxa for comparison.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/strong>:
\nBrazil, M. 2009. Birds of East Asia. Helm Field Guides
\nGill, F & D Donsker (Eds). 2012. IOC World Bird Names (v 3.2). Available at http:\/\/www.worldbirdnames.org\/n-chats.html<\/a>
\nMoores, N., Park J-G. 2009. The Birds Korea Checklist: 2009. Published online in August 2009; accessed in Nov. 2012 at: http:\/\/www.birdskorea.org\/Birds\/Checklist\/BK-CL-Checklist-Aug-2009.shtml<\/a>
\nSvensson, L. 1992. Identification Guide to European Passerines. Published and sold by the author.<\/p>\n

\nFor more online discussion and images (all accessed in November 2012) also see:<\/p>\n