Rockrunner

Achaetops pycnopygius

Common name:

rockrunner (en); salta-pedras (pt); achétopse à flancs roux (fr); saltarrocas de Damara (es); klippensänger (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Sylviidae

Range:

This African species is only found in central and north-western Namibia and in southern Angola.

Size:

The rockrunner is 16-17 cm long and has a wingspan of 27 cm. They weigh 28 g.

Habitat:

This species prefers sparsely vegetated habitats, often being found in hillsides, scree slopes and rocky outcrops.

Diet:

The rockrunner almost exclusively eats invertebrates, namely grasshoppers and caterpillars that they take from the ground.

Breeding:

This species breeds in November-March. They nest in an open cup built of grass of various lengths, with fine grass stems in the inside and more coarse stems on the outside. It is typically woven into the center of a large grass tuft, only visible from above. The female lays 2-3 eggs which are incubated for 15 days. The chicks are fed by both adults, leaving the nest before they can fly and hiding in the nearby vegetation and rocks.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

The rockrunner as a relatively large breeding range and a global population estimated at 49.000-143.432 individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any current declines or substantial threats.