Monticola semirufus (Rüppell, 1837)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Two male White-winged Cliff-chats in Ethiopia.
Alastair Rae from London, United Kingdom · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The white-winged cliff chat (Monticola semirufus) is a species of passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found in rocky wooded gorges, among boulders and in road cuttings within the Ethiopian Highlands.
This species was formerly placed in the genus Thamnolaea but was moved to Monticola based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010.
Length 19–21 cm. The male has a striking chestnut belly which the female lacks. Juvenile is spotted buff above and below. Both sexes show striking white secondaries in flight. The white patches in the primaries are diagnostic of this species.
Wikipedia contributors, White-winged cliff chat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:02:57.050477+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Monticola semirufus (Rüppell, 1837)
- Name authority
- (Rüppell, 1837)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Monticola
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyMuscicapidae Fleming, 1822
- genusMonticola F. Boie, 1822
- speciesMonticola semirufus (Rüppell, 1837)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Monticola. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Sentinel Rock ThrushMonticola explorator (Vieillot, 1818) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-throated Rock ThrushMonticola gularis (Swinhoe, 1863) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Monticola imerina (Hartlaub, 1860) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chestnut-bellied Rock ThrushMonticola rufiventris (Jardine & Selby, 1833) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cape Rock ThrushMonticola rupestris (Vieillot, 1818) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rufous-tailed Rock ThrushMonticola saxatilis (Linnaeus, 1766) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Short-toed Rock ThrushMonticola brevipes (Waterhouse, 1838) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Miombo Rock ThrushMonticola angolensis Sousa, 1888 | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-capped Rock ThrushMonticola cinclorhynchus (Vigors, 1832) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Little Rock ThrushMonticola rufocinereus (Rüppell, 1837) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Forest Rock ThrushMonticola sharpei (G. R. Gray, 1871) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius (Linnaeus, 1758) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Thamnolaea semirufa (Rüppell, 1837) (Rüppell, 1837) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=916855 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:44B87. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.