The rock thrushes, Monticola, are a genus of chats, medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous songbirds. All are Old World birds, and most are associated with mountainous regions.

Taxonomy

The genus was erected by the German naturalist Friedrich Boie in 1822. Monticola is the Latin word for mountain-dweller or mountaineer. The genus was formerly included in the thrush family Turdidae. Molecular phylogenetic studies published in 2004 and 2010 showed that the species are more closely related to members of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The genus contains the following species:

Fossil record

Monticola pongraczi (Pliocene of Beremend, Hungary)