Archer's ground robin

Archer's ground robin or Archer's robin-chat, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in the Albertine Rift montane forests.

Loading map...

Distribution

Region

Albertine Rift, Central/East Africa

Typical Environment

Occurs in the montane forests of the Albertine Rift, including the Rwenzori, Kivu, and Itombwe ranges of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, western Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. It favors dense understory, thickets, and forest edges within moist evergreen forest and bamboo zones. Often keeps close to the ground along shaded gullies, stream margins, and forest floor leaf litter. It can persist in secondary growth if sufficient cover remains, but is most frequent in intact montane forest.

Altitude Range

1500–3200 m

Climate Zone

Highland

Characteristics

Size14–16 cm

Wing Span22–25 cm

Male Weight0.025 kg

Female Weight0.023 kg

Life Expectancy6 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

Archer's ground robin, also known as Archer's robin-chat, is an Albertine Rift montane forest specialist that keeps to dense, shaded undergrowth. It is often heard before seen, delivering rich fluty phrases from low perches. Taxonomically it has been placed in Cossypha and by some authorities in Dessonornis. Its secretive, ground-oriented habits make it a rewarding but challenging bird to observe.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

shy and skulking

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats close to the ground

Social Behavior

Typically solitary or in pairs, maintaining territories within dense understory. Nests low in vegetation, banks, or tangled roots, with a cup-shaped nest. Both adults participate in feeding the young and defend the nest site vigorously.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

A rich, melodious series of fluty whistles and phrases delivered from concealed perches, often at dawn and dusk. Calls include sharp ticks and soft chucks when alarmed.

Unlock detailed bird insights with Pro access today.

Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

Arctic tern

The Arctic tern is a tern in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. The species is strongly migratory, seeing two summers each year as it migrates along a convoluted route from its northern breeding grounds to the Antarctic coast for the southern summer and back again about six months later. Recent studies have shown average annual round-trip lengths of about 70,900 km (38,300 nmi) for birds nesting in Iceland and Greenland, and about 48,700 km (26,300 nmi) for birds nesting in the Netherlands, while an individual from the Farne Islands in Northumberland with a light level geolocator tag covered a staggering 96,000 km (52,000 nmi) in ten months from the end of one breeding season to the start of the next. These are by far the longest migrations known in the animal kingdom.

Arctic warbler

The Arctic warbler is a widespread leaf warbler in birch or mixed birch forest near water throughout its breeding range in Fennoscandia and the northern Palearctic. It has established a foothold in North America, breeding in Alaska. This warbler is strongly migratory; the entire population winters in southeast Asia. It therefore has one of the longest migrations of any Old World insectivorous bird.