Blackstart

Taxonomy

The first formal description of the blackstart was by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1824 under the binomial name Saxicola melanura. The blackstart was included as the type species in the genus Cercomela introduced by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1856. As part of a reorganization of the species to create monotypic genera, the blackstart was assigned to the genus Oenanthe. The specific epithet melanura is from the classical Greek melanouros meaning "with a black tail" from melas "black" and oura "tail".

Six subspecies are recognised:

• O. m. melanura (Temminck, 1824) – northeast Egypt to Israel, Jordan and central Saudi Arabia
• O. m. neumanni (Ripley, 1952) – southwest Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman
• O. m. lypura (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833) – north-central Sudan to Eritrea
• O. m. aussae (Thesiger & Meynell, 1934) – northeast Ethiopia, Djibouti and north Somalia
• O. m. airensis (Hartert, 1921) – north Niger to central Sudan
• O. m. ultima (Bates, 1933) – east Mali and west Niger The subspecies differ slightly in the colour of their plumage.

Description

The blackstart is around 14 cm in length with a wingspan of 23-27 cm and a weight of around 15 g. The nominate race O. m. melanura has blueish ash-grey upperparts with darker wings and a black rump and tail. The belly and under-wings are greyish white; the bill and legs are black. The sexes are similar. The North African subspecies O. m. lypura and O. m. airensis are browner than the nominate.

Distribution and habitat

• In Egypt, the blackstart is common in the Sinai Peninsula
• In Israel the species is primarily found in the Negev Desert, Arava Valley and Dead Sea areas; it is present in areas of the Jordan River valley further north, but is scarcer there.
• In Jordan, the species is only found in western parts of the country, in areas from the Jordan River valley south through the Dead Sea region to the Arava Valley and Aqaba Mountains.

Breeding

The blackstart is monogamous and pairs remain on their breeding territory throughout the year. The nest is a shallow cup of grass and leaves lined with hair and fine plant material. The female usually places small pebbles around the entrance of the nest. The 3 or 4 pale blue eggs with fine red-brown speckles are laid at daily intervals. They measure 19.6 x and weigh 2.26 g. They are incubated by the female and hatch after 13–14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge after around 14 days. Up to three broods can be raised in a year.

A study conducted in Israel on the west shore of the Dead Sea found that a major cause of nest failure was the predation of the eggs by Golden and Cairo spiny mice.

Status

The species has a wide distribution range, stable population trends, and is presumed to have a large population, although precise estimates have not been conducted. As a result, it is classified as "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Notes

References

References

1. BirdLife International. (2016). "''Oenanthe melanura''".
2. (1960). "Check-list of Birds of the World". Museum of Comparative Zoology.
3. Temminck, Coenraad Jacob. (1838). "Nouveau recueil de planches coloriées d'oiseaux, pour servir de suite et de complément aux planches enluminées de Buffon". F.G. Levrault.
4. (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.
5. (2012). "Convergent evolution of morphological and ecological traits in the open-habitat chat complex (Aves, Muscicapidae: Saxicolinae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
6. (2013). "Taxonomic recommendations for Western Palearctic birds: ninth report". Ibis.
7. (2016). "Chats, Old World flycatchers". International Ornithologists' Union.
8. Jobling, James A.. (2010). "The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names". Christopher Helm.
9. Collar, N.. (2020). "Blackstart (''Oenanthe melanura''), version 1.0". Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
10. (1988). "Handbook of the Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume V: Tyrant Flycatchers to Thrushes". Oxford University Press.
11. (1998). "The possible function of stone ramparts at the nest entrance of the Blackstart". Animal Behaviour.
12. Clement, Peter. (2016). "Robins and Chats". Bloomsbury.
13. BirdLife International. (2025). "Species factsheet: Blackstart ''Oenanthe melanura''".