The white-throated robin-chat or white-throated robin is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savannah and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
Region
Southern Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs patchily across Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, favoring dry savanna, thornscrub, and riverine thickets. It is closely associated with dense understory, especially along drainage lines and in acacia and mopane woodland. The species also uses tangled thickets on rocky hillsides and bushy margins of clearings. In some areas it ventures into well-vegetated rural gardens and lodges adjacent to natural bush.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1600 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
A skulking robin-chat of southern Africa, it keeps to dense thickets and often reveals itself with a rich, ringing song. Like many robin-chats, it is an excellent mimic, weaving phrases of other species into its repertoire. It frequently cocks and fans its rufous tail while foraging in leaf litter.
Nest with three chicks
Temperament
shy and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low, darting flights
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, maintaining territories in dense cover. Breeding pairs nest in concealed sites close to the ground, using cups of plant fibers, bark strips, and rootlets. Both adults attend the young, and birds often remain in the same territory year to year.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A rich, melodious series of whistles and phrases delivered from within cover or a low perch. Frequently incorporates mimicry of other species and may sing most vigorously at dawn and dusk.
Plumage
Compact robin-chat with a clean white throat sharply contrasting a darker head and warm orange underparts. Upperparts are grey-brown to olive-brown, with a bright rufous tail often flicked and fanned. The face shows a dusky mask and a narrow pale eyebrow; the belly pales toward the vent.
Diet
Primarily hunts insects and other small invertebrates such as beetles, ants, termites, caterpillars, and spiders. Forages by gleaning from leaf litter and low branches, and will snatch prey from the ground after short dashes. It may take small fruits and berries opportunistically, especially in the dry season.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in shaded thickets, along bushy stream banks, and at the edges of woodland where leaf litter is abundant. Often forages under tangled shrubs and fallen branches, using cover to remain concealed.
