A small, dumpy bird, the stonechat is a little smaller than a robin. Stonechats have quite a big head and short tail. They can frequently be seen sitting on the top of gorse bushesand flicking their wings. They get their name from their alarm / contact call that sounds like two small stones being hit together. They eat invertebrates, seeds and fruit such as blackberries. Male stonechats are dark above with a black throat, white half-collar and orange-red breast. Females and juveniles are paler.