Archer's Robin-Chat - BirdForum Opus

Alternative name: Archer's Ground Robin

Photo by Tom Tarrant
Echuya Forest, south-western Uganda, January 2006

Cossypha archeri

Identification

15 cm

• Long white supercilium
• White chin spot
• Rufous tail
• Black bill

Similar Species

Similar to Mountain Robin-Chat which has a much shorter supercilium.

Distribution

Africa:
Western Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo
Eastern Africa: Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi

Taxonomy

Recent results indicate that this species does not belong in genus Cossypha. It might instead be placed in Bessonornis, Dessonornis or even Caffrornis. The Opus awaits clarification before acting on this.

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• C. a. archeri (albimentalis):

• Montane forests of eastern Zaire to Rwanda, Burundi and south-western Uganda

• C. a. kimbutui:

• Montane forests of south-eastern Zaire (Mount Kabobo)

Habitat

Rainforest and high-altitude shrubland.

Behaviour

Diet

A ground feeder, there diet consists almost entirely of insects, beetles, caterpillars etc.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2022. IOC World Bird List (v 12.2) DRAFT. Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.12.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
3. Avibase
4. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2014)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Archer's Robin-Chat. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Archer%27s_Robin-Chat

External Links

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