| Red-capped robin-chat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In coastal KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Muscicapidae |
| Genus: | Cossypha |
| Species: | C. natalensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Cossypha natalensis Smith, 1840 | |
The red-capped robin-chat or Natal robin (Cossypha natalensis) is a species of passerine bird belonging to the family Muscicapidae. This species is found in Southern and Eastern Africa.
The red-capped robin-chat was first formally described in 1840 by the Scottish zoologist and physician Andrew Smith with its type locality given as near Port Natal in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. [2] This species is a member of the genus Cossypha which is classified within the subfamily Erithacinae of the large passerine family Muscicapidae, the chats and Old World flycatchers. [3] [4] However, it has been argued that the name of this clade should be Cossyphinae, as this was proposed by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in 1825 and so predates Gray's 1846 Erithacinae. [5]
The red-capped robin-chat is a polytypic species with 3 subspecies:
The red-capped robin-chat had the genus name Cossypha, a name introduced by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors in 1825. [6] The word comes from the Classical Greek kossuphos for a blackbird or thrush. [7] The specific name natalensis refers to the type locality. [7]
The red-capped robin-chat is a relatively large species of robin-chat with a length of 15.5 to 19 cm (6.1 to 7.5 in). The adults have an orange-rufous head, face, breast and belly with a large dark eye. The overall appearance of the head is of anplain face with the dark eye in its centre. The wings and upperparts of the body are dusky and these contrast with the dark central and bright orange outer tail feathers. The juveniles are a mottled dark brown with rufous-brown spots on the head.The upper and underparts have rufous spots, these become larger towards the belly. [8]
The above applies to the nominate subspecies, C. n. natalensis. The subspecies C. c. intensa is similar to the nominate but the crown and nape are a brighter reddish colour, with no olive tones, and is slightly paler orange-rufous on the head and underparts. The subspecies C.c. larischii has slightly darker upperparts than the nominate, particularly on the crown and nape and has a lightly shorter tail. [8]
The red-capped robin chat has a plaintive, tremulous contact call and has other fluty vocalisations, similar to those of other robin-chats. [9] The song is a long series of melodious whistles with a lot of mimicry included. [10]
The red-capped robin-chat has a wide distribution in eastern and southern Africa. C. n. larischi is found in central and south eastern Nigeria, near Yaoundé in Cameroon, southwestern Gabon and southern Republic of Congo as far north as the Téké Plateau and south into northern and western Angola. The most wodespread sunspecies is C.n. intensa which occurs as far north as South Sudan, southwestern Ethiopia and southern Somalia south to northwestern and eastern Zimbabwe and northern and central Mozambique where it intergrades with the nominate subso=pecies which is found in southern Mozambique, Eswatini and northeastern and southeastern South Africa in Limpopo Province, KwaZulu-Natal as far as the Transkei District in the Eastern Cape. [8]
The red-capped robin-chat is a bird that lives in the undergrowth of evergreen forest, this includes coastal forests, riverine forests, sand forests and highland forests below the cloud forest level. During the summer it expands its range to include well vegetated gullies and tickets within drier habitats such as bushveld and thornveld. In KwaZulu-Natal this is a common species of gardens where it lives in shrubberies. [11]
The red-capped robin-chat is both sedentary and partially migratory, with 1st calendar year birds being nomadic. The northern most populations in South Sudan are very rare in the period between December and February, returning to their breeding territories in early March. It is a dry season visitor to coastal areas in Tanzania and Mozambique, while in Zimbabwe it is absent from the higher parts of the Eastern Highlands between March and late August. In many areas it is known as a nomadic, dry season visitor with sporadic and fleeting appearances. Vagrants have been recorded from Botswana, the Western Cape and Orange Free State. [8]
The red-capped robin chat buods a nest that is an open cup set into a platform, the materials used to create the nest are highly variable and will often include dead leaves, roots, tendrils, twigs, dry grass and flowerheads, lichen, moss, bark fragments or even hippopotamus droppings. It is usually situated in a hollow tree stump, in a rotten hole or crack in a branch and sometimes in a cavity in a dry side of a gully. The nest is built by both sexes. [12] This is a monogamous and territorial species and the breeding season varies across its range, normally breeding during the rainy season. The territory is vigorously defended against conspecifics. It is known to hybridise with the chorister robin-chat (C. dichroa). [8] The clutch varies between 2 and 4 eggs, and the female incubates the clutch on her own, the eggs hatch after around 2 weeks and the female broods the young, on and off, for the first week after hatching> The young fledge after 11 or 12 days, although 17 days has been recorded. The juveniles are dependant n their parents for approximately 6 weeks after fledging. The red-chested cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius) has been recorded as a brood parasite of the red-capped robin-chat. This species is both insectivorous and frugivorous and has been recorded feeding on a wide variety of invertebrates and fruit. Invertebrates are mainly found by searching through the leaf litter, sometimes by catching them in flight on tree trunks and in the air. Fruit is taken mainly from the canopy. [12] It will forage on the periphery of driver ant columns and in mixed species flocks. It has been recorded foraging around other birds and mammals, catching disturbed insects. [8]
The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World, with the exception of several vagrants and two species, bluethroat and northern wheatear, found also in North America. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing. The family is relatively large and includes 351 species, which are divided into 54 genera.
Cossypha are small insectivorous birds, with most species called robin-chats. They were formerly in the thrush family Turdidae, but are now more often treated as part of the Old World flycatcher Muscicapidae.
The scrub robins or bush chats are medium-sized insectivorous birds in the genus Cercotrichas. They were formerly considered to be in the thrush family, (Turdidae), but are more often now treated as part of the Old World flycatcher family, (Muscicapidae). They are not closely related to the Australian scrub-robins, genus Drymodes in the family Petroicidae.
The African paradise flycatcher is a medium-sized passerine bird. The two central tail feathers of the male are extended into streamers that commonly are more than twice as long as the body. The female tail feathers are of moderate length and without streamers. The upper parts of the male body, wings, and tail are boldly coloured in chestnut or rusty shades, but the underparts and the head are variably grey to blue-gray, with the head of the mature male being darker, commonly glossy black with greenish highlights. The beak and other bare areas, including a wattle ring round the eye, match the colour of the surrounding feathers. The female coloration is similar, though not so showy and glossy and with the head paler.
The Cape robin-chat is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It has a disjunct range from South Sudan to South Africa.
The sickle-winged chat or sicklewing chat is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae endemic to southern Africa. It is a common resident breeder in South Africa and Lesotho, and is also found in southernmost areas of Botswana and Namibia. Its habitat is Karoo scrub, short grassland, and barren sandy or stony areas. In western coastal areas, it also occurs on agricultural land.
The chorister robin-chat is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found in South Africa and Eswatini. Its distribution stretches from the southern Western Cape through the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga to northern Limpopo. Its natural habitat is evergreen forests, especially in the mist belt region.
The white-headed robin-chat is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in northern Angola and the western Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is threatened by habitat loss, and its IUCN conservation status is the least concern.
The white-browed robin-chat, also known as Heuglin's robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. Found in east, central and southern Africa, its natural habitats include riverine forest and thickets, and it is also found near humans. The IUCN classifies it as a least-concern species.
The mountain robin-chat is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae.
Rüppell's robin-chat is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae, that is native to the Afrotropics. It is named for the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell.
Cossyphicula is a genus of passerine birds belonging to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The white-browed scrub robin, also known as the red-backed scrub-robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa, especially East and southern Africa. Within range, its Turdus-like song is one of the often-heard sounds of the bush. The flitting of the tail is characteristic of this species, but also of some near relatives.
The bearded scrub robin, also known as the eastern bearded scrub robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in eastern and southern Africa.
The white-starred robin is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher and chat family Muscicapidae. It is also sometimes more simply called the starred robin. It is monotypic within the genus Pogonocichla. There are around twelve subspecies. The species is found in East and southern Africa. It is a forest species, occurring in montane forest in the north of its range but closer to sea level further south. This is a brightly coloured robin with a bright yellow breast and belly, a slate coloured head with spots on the eyes and throat and blueish wings.
The African broadbill, also known as the black-capped broadbill or Delacour's broadbill, is a species of bird in the sub-oscine family Calyptomenidae.
Swynnerton's robin is a species of passerine bird belonging to the family Muscicapidae. It is monotypic within the genus Swynnertonia. The common and Latin names commemorate the entomologist Charles Swynnerton.
The blue-mantled crested flycatcher or African crested flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae found in eastern and south-eastern Africa.
The Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot (MPA) is a biodiversity hotspot, a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity, in Southern Africa. It is situated near the south-eastern coast of Africa, occupying an area between the Great Escarpment and the Indian Ocean. The area is named after Maputaland, Pondoland and Albany. It stretches from the Albany Centre of Plant Endemism in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, through the Pondoland Centre of Plant Endemism and KwaZulu-Natal Province, the eastern side of Eswatini and into southern Mozambique and Mpumalanga. The Maputaland Centre of Plant Endemism is contained in northern KwaZulu-Natal and southern Mozambique.
