Emarginata is a genus of birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that occur in southern Africa.
| Emarginata | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Karoo chat (Emarginata schlegelii) in South Africa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Muscicapidae |
| Genus: | Emarginata Shelley, 1896 |
| Type species | |
| Luscinia sinuata[1] Sundevall, 1858 | |
The three species in the genus were previously placed in the genus Cercomela. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 found that Cercomela was polyphyletic and that the type species Cercomela melanura (the blackstart) lay in a clade containing members of Oenanthe.[2] A more comprehensive study published in 2012 confirmed the earlier results.[3] In order to create monophyletic genera the species assigned to Cercomela were moved into other genera.[4] Three species were placed in the resurrected genus Emarginata that had been introduced by the English ornithologist George Ernest Shelley in 1896.[5]
The three species in the genus are:[4]
- Sickle-winged chat (Emarginata sinuata)
- Karoo chat (Emarginata schlegelii)
- Tractrac chat (Emarginata tractrac)