The forest scrub robin is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is disjunctly present throughout the African tropical rainforest. This species was formerly placed in the genus Cercotrichas.
Region
West and Central African rainforests
Typical Environment
Occurs disjunctly across the Upper Guinea forests of West Africa and the Congo Basin of Central Africa. Inhabits the shaded understorey of primary and mature secondary lowland rainforest, dense thickets, and forest edges. Also uses gallery forests along rivers and overgrown clearings with ample leaf litter. It generally avoids open savanna and heavily degraded habitats. Typically keeps close to the ground where cover is dense.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A shy, ground-favoring scrub robin of the African rainforest understorey, it often flicks and fans its rufous tail while foraging in leaf litter. Its range is disjunct, with populations in West Africa (Upper Guinea) and in Central Africa (Congo Basin). Older literature may list it under Erythropygia leucosticta. It can join mixed-species flocks but usually keeps low and out of sight.
Temperament
skulking and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and darting
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, keeping close to dense undergrowth. Builds a cup nest low in shrubs or tangles, with both parents attending the young. Will sometimes accompany mixed-species understorey flocks while remaining near cover.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A soft, melodious series of whistles and clear phrases, often delivered from low perches within cover. Calls include thin tsip and soft tchik notes. Most vocal at dawn and in the cool of late afternoon.
Plumage
Warm brown upperparts with a contrasting rufous tail showing a darker subterminal band; underparts buffy to whitish with a pale throat. Subtle pale supercilium and dusky lores give a soft-faced look. Tail is often flicked, exposing paler edges and tips.
Diet
Primarily small invertebrates such as ants, beetles, spiders, termites, and caterpillars. Gleans and probes in leaf litter, among roots, and at the bases of shrubs. Will make short dashes to seize prey flushed by movement and occasionally takes small berries or seeds opportunistically.
Preferred Environment
Feeds on the shaded forest floor and in dense tangles with abundant leaf litter and fallen logs. Often forages along quiet trails, stream edges, and the margins of thickets where cover is immediate.
