The
Sentinel Rock-thrush,
Monticola exploratory, is a South-African endemic with a liking for grasslands on rocky hills, most often preferring altitude. In its southern distribution its habitat differs extending into fynbos and Karoo. The sexes differ markedly in plumage, this bird photographed near Wakkerstroom being a typical adult male. Female birds lack the grey head.
The middle toe of this bird is distinctly longer than the two toes flanking it (hence the Afrikaans name “Langtoonkliplyster”), a feature not seen in any of the other Southern African rock-thrushes. I tried to find some reference to possible uses of this elongated digit, but came up empty. The bird feeds almost exclusively on insects and initially my unsubstantiated thoughts were that it would use the toe to dig out grubs, for instance.
If anyone has some information on how this feature may be applied, I’d love to hear from you.
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