Alternative name: Natal Robin
- Cossypha natalensis
Identification
Length 16-18 cm, mass 24-36 g. Crown brown to rufous, face and under parts orange, upper parts slate-blue. Tail orange with black centre.
Distribution
Africa: Ethiopia and Somalia through Kenya, Uganda and DRC to Angola in the west and through eastern Africa to eastern South Africa. Isolated populations in Nigeria and CAR.
Taxonomy
Cossypha natalensis has three subspecies:[1]
- C. n. larischi
- C. n. intensa
- Southern Somalia and Sudan to Angola, north-eastern South Africa and Mozambique
- C. n. natalensis
- Coastal south-eastern South Africa
Habitat
Subtropical and tropical forest and dense woodland.
Behaviour
Usually found singly or in pairs. Forages mainly on the ground for invertebrates and friuts.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
- Hockey, PAR, WRJ Dean, and PG Ryan, eds. 2005. Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa. 7th ed. Cape Town: John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. ISBN 978-0620340533
- Sinclair, I and P Ryan. 2003. Birds of Africa South of the Sahara. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691118154
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Red-capped Robin-Chat. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Red-capped_Robin-Chat
