The long-billed crombec or Cape crombec is an African warbler.
Region
Southern Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs widely from South Africa through Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and into parts of Angola and Zambia. It favors arid to semi-arid savannas, thornveld, and dry bush with scattered shrubs and acacias. It also uses suburban gardens and farm edges where native scrub remains. The species is largely sedentary and maintains territories year-round. It is adaptable within dry woodland mosaics but avoids dense, closed-canopy forests.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The long-billed crombec, also called the Cape crombec, looks almost tailless and carries a distinctively long, slightly decurved bill for probing foliage. It builds a neat, purse-shaped nest bound with spider silk and plant fibers. Typically seen in pairs, it forages restlessly through thorny scrub and savanna shrubs.
S. r. resurga, Kruger National Park
Long-billed crombec building a nest
Temperament
active and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low bounding flights between shrubs
Social Behavior
Usually found singly or in pairs, sometimes in small family groups. Pairs maintain territories year-round and perform soft contact calls while foraging. The nest is a suspended, purse-like structure hidden in dense shrubbery; both sexes participate in nest building and care.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A high, thin, and rapid series of trills and tinkling notes, delivered in short bursts from within cover. Contact calls are sharp, metallic chips used to keep pairs together while foraging.
