White-throated Bushchat

The White-throated Bushchat (Saxicola insignis) is a small, attractive passerine — the male has a distinctive white throat patch, black head and upperparts, and rufous breast. It inhabits montane scrubby grasslands and open hillsides during the breeding season. The species has a restricted and fragmented breeding range in the mountains of Mongolia, southern Siberia and possibly western China. Wintering birds concentrate in tall grasslands of the Terai–Duar region along the India–Nepal border. The global population is estimated at only 2,500–10,000 mature individuals. Threats include grassland burning and conversion, overgrazing, and habitat degradation on both breeding and wintering grounds.