- Cercotrichas signata
Identification
Length 18-19 cm, mass 32-35 g
Adult: The upperparts are predominantly brown. The eyebrow is white and there a white spot below the eye. There are conspicuous black and white markings on the wing and the tail is black with a white tip. The underparts are white; greyish on the flanks.
Immature: Brown, with spotted buff upperparts and underparts scaled blackish.
Distribution
Coastal forests of south-eastern South Africa, southern Mozambique, and inland to north-eastern South Africa and eSwatini.
Taxonomy
Subspecies[1]
There are two subspecies:
- C. s. tongensis: paler than the nominate race, buffy on the flanks, and has a shorter bill
- Extreme southern Mozambique, KwaZulu-Natal coast north of the Umfolosi River mouth, to eastern eSwatini and northern Natal
- C. s. signata:
- South Africa (Transvaal and southern Natal to south-eastern Cape Province)
Habitat
Forests and coastal dunes.
Behaviour
Usually solitary, this species forages on the forest floor for invertebrates, often flicking leaves aside with its bill. It often watches foraging mole-rats, picking off disturbed insects.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- 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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Brown Scrub Robin. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 12 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown_Scrub_Robin
