About Pentholaea arnotti (Tristram, 1869)
Arnot's chat, scientifically named Pentholaea arnotti (Tristram, 1869), ranges in size from 16 to 18 cm (6.3–7.1 in) and weighs around 35 g (1.2 oz). Adult plumage shows sexual dimorphism. The male of the nominate race is entirely black overall, with a white crown and a white patch on the wing coverts. The female is similar in appearance to the nominate male, but has a black crown, and a white throat and neck tipped with black. Both sexes have black bills and black legs. Juvenile birds resemble adults, but have white feather tips on the crown or throat rather than the fuller solid white areas seen in mature individuals. For the race harterti, males have less extensive white markings on the wings, and a mostly black head with only a small patch of white on the forehead and above the eye; female harterti also have less extensive white on the throat than females of the nominate race. Arnot's chat is most commonly found in healthy stands of miombo and mopane woodland. It also occurs at lower densities in other types of open woodland with little herbaceous cover, and is found very rarely near buildings. It generally occurs at elevations from sea level up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). The species is generally not migratory, but it is thought to engage in some localized wandering.
