Scrub-robin ID - South Africa (1 Viewer)

Hi all.

Just mulling over this Scrub-Robin ID.
This was taken just north of Pretoria.

We have had a single record of Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin one South Africa which made me Review this photo. I originally filed it as ID tone confirmed as it was calling when I saw it but sounded completely wrong for Kalahari Scrub-robin.

The brown crown and paler legs makes me wonder as to wether this might also be a Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin.

Thanks.

Why isn't it a Karoo Scrub Robin?

What is to 'Regina' a photo?

andyadcock said:

Why isn't it a Karoo Scrub Robin?

What is to 'Regina' a photo?

Click to expand...

Correction... review (autocorrect)

Kalahari Scrub-robin has black legs. Rufous-tailed has browish legs.
Also Kalahari scrub-robin has a grey crown and nape, this has a brown crown and nape.

I had put this aside as uncertain ID as when I saw the bird it was calling more reminiscent of a Cape Robin-chat and not like a Kalahari Scrub-robin and it didn’t look 100% right.

At that stage we had never had a Rufous-tailed scrub-robin recorded any where near southern African so I just left it as a bird I was not 100% comfortable with.

We had one recorded about a year ago. Having seen the leg and crown color differences but how similar they are otherwise I decided to go back and review all my Kalahari scrub-Robin photos.

All my other photos of Kalahari Scrub-robin show clear black legs and grey crown.

Karoo scrub-robin also has black legs and dirty darkis underparts and its upper parts are a darker colder brown.

I’m familiar with Karoo scrub-robin calls and this didn’t sound anything like that either.

Also the orange / rufous in the tail seen in the one photo rules out Karoo

Here is a typical Kalahari Scrub-robin photo from my library.

I'd say that the amount of white on the undertail which is visible in one shot, is too extensive for Rufous-tailed?

Not sure bill structure is right either?

Thanks. Not familiar with Rufous-tailed.