- Pogonocichla stellata
Identification
Length 15-16 cm, mass 18-26 g.
Adult: Head and throat slate-grey with white spots (usually concealed) on the lower throat and forehead. Back olive-green and breast and belly orange-yellow. Yellow windows in the tail are obvious in flight.
Distribution
Forests of eastern Africa: Extreme southern Sudan to southern South Africa.
Taxonomy
Pogonocichla stellata has ten subspecies:[1]
- P. s. ruwenzorii
- P. s. guttifer
- Mt. Kilimanjaro (northern Tanzania)
- P. s. elgonensis
- P. s. pallidiflava
- Southern Sudan
- P. s. macarthuri
- South-eastern Kenya
- P. s. helleri
- P. s. orientalis
- Tanzania to Zambia, Malawi and central Mozambique
- P. s. transvaalensis
- Highlands of eastern Zimbabwe, north-eastern South Africa and Mozambique
- P. s. stellata
- South-eastern South Africa
- P. s. intensa
Habitat
Breeds in the understorey of Afromontane forest. An altitudinal migrant; when not breeding, uses a wider variety of well-wooded habitats (including gardens and riverine forest).
Behaviour
Usually solitary. Forages in understory and canopy, mainly for invertebrates (mainly beetles); also eats small fruit and small invertebrates (such as small frogs).
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
- Hockey, PAR, WRJ Dean, and PG Ryan, eds. 2005. Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa. 7th ed. Cape Town: John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. ISBN 978-0620340533
- Sinclair, I and P Ryan. 2003. Birds of Africa South of the Sahara. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691118154
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) White-starred Robin. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-starred_Robin
