White-browed Robin-Chat - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by sungrebe
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Cossypha heuglini

Alternative name: Heuglin's Robin

Identification

Juvenile
Photo © by sascha_chen
Okavango Delta, Botswana, March 2018

Length 18-20 cm (7-7¾ in), mass 29-44 g.

• Orange underparts and tail
• Grey upper parts
• Black crown, lores and ear-coverts
• Broad white eyebrow
• Dark eye
• Grey legs and feet

Distribution

Africa south of Sahara:
Western Africa: Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, eSwatini

Taxonomy

Subspecies

As many as seven subspecies have been described², but Clements¹ recognises three:

• C. h. heuglini:

• Southern Chad, western Sudan, and Central African Republic east to Ethiopia, south to Angola, northern Botswana, Zimbabwe, and northern South Africa

• C. h. subrufescens:

• Gabon to northern Angola and extreme western Democratic Republic of the Congo

• C. h. intermedia:

• Coastal Somalia south coastaly to north-eastern South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal)

Habitat

Riverine woodland and forest, and moist savanna.

Behaviour

Diet

The diet consists of insects, beetles and ants, caterpillars, moths, grasshoppers, and other small invertebrates. Fruits are also eaten.

Breeding

Monogamous and territorial; they nest in a tree stump cavity. The clutch consists of two to three eggs which are incubated by the female for 12–17 days.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. ISBN 0620340533

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) White-browed Robin-Chat. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-browed_Robin-Chat

External Links

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