First Record of Pied Bush Chat (Saxicola caprata) in South Korea

A first-summer male Pied Bush Chat (Saxicola caprata) was documented for the first time in South Korea on 30 March 2024, and observed until 4 April 2024, on Gureop-do, Ongjin-gun, Incheon City. This individual was observed feeding on insects with other flycatchers in open areas near the coast, where abandoned fishing net, coastal garbage, and scattered shrubs. The Korean vernacular name (Hwinjukji-geomeun-ttaksae, 흰죽지검은딱새) was provisionally assigned based on its morphological and behavioral characteristics. Considering the characteristic white color from the belly to the undertail-coverts and its known geographical distribution, the individual was tentatively identified as the subspecies S. c. rossorum. It is presumed that this bird arrived on the Korean peninsula after leaving its normal range, which is very exceptional occurrence.