Photo: Charles J. Sharp / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Brown Rock Chat
Oenanthe fusca
Brown Rock Chat (Oenanthe fusca) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South & Southeast Asia.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Brown Rock Chat (Oenanthe fusca) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 12.7 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Muscicapidae Chats, Old World Flycatchers
- Genus Oenanthe
- Species fusca
Quick facts
- Weight
- 12.7 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Grassland & open country
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Brown Rock Chat is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of rocky terrain, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Brown Rock Chat is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Brown Rock Chat (Oenanthe fusca) is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR Pakistan and n, c India.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 12.7 g, with a wing length of about 9 cm and a tail of around 7 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 1.1 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Brown Rock Chat?
The Brown Rock Chat is a very small bird that weighs around 12.7 g.
Where does the Brown Rock Chat live?
The Brown Rock Chat is found across South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR Pakistan and n, c India, where it favours open grassland, scrub and lightly vegetated country.
What family does the Brown Rock Chat belong to?
The Brown Rock Chat (Oenanthe fusca) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Brown Rock Chat eat?
The Brown Rock Chat is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Brown Rock Chat migrate?
The Brown Rock Chat is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Brown Rock Chat endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Brown Rock Chat make?
1 real field recording of the Brown Rock Chat — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Brown Rock Chat's range?
The Brown Rock Chat has a mapped global range of about 1.1 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Muscicapidae
A field guide to the Muscicapidae family — 355 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.