From Opus

Photo by ammadoux
Desert tree- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Alternative names: Rufous Bush-Robin; Rufous Bush-Chat

Cercotrichas galactotes

Includes: African Scrub-Robin

[edit] Identification

Brown upper parts, white under parts, and a prominent white eye-stripe. The long rufous tail is frequently fanned, showing the black and white tips of the tail feathers.

[edit] Distribution

Photo by Mick Sway
Fanoremni, Lesvos, Greece, May 2009

Found in the Mediterranean, North Africa, West and Central Africa, Middle East to Iran and Pakistan.

[edit] Taxonomy

Placed in genus Erythropygia by Gill and Donsker.

[edit] Subspecies

The first three subspecies are recognised by Clements^[1]

• C. g. galactotes:

• Western Mediterranean basin and North Africa; winters to southern Sahara

• C. g. syriacus:

• Eastern Mediterranean basin and Middle East; winters to eastern Africa

• C. g. familiaris:

• Southern Caucasus to Iran and Pakistan; wintern to southern Arabia and Kenya

Clements splits two other subspecies minor and hamertoni from subsaharan Africa as African Scrub-Robin Cercotrichas minor.

• C. m. minor:

• Senegambia to Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and northern Somalia

• C. m. hamertoni:

• Eastern Somalia (Beira and Wagar mountains)

[edit] Habitat

Dry open country with bushes and shrubs.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

It builds its nest in a bush; 3-5 eggs are laid.

[edit] Diet

The diet incldudes insects mostly caught on the ground.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view

• List of references

[edit] External Links

This link searches for videos titled Rufous Bush-Robin